Breakdown of the Sphere
by eelgirl13
Summary: He thought he knew his ultimate destiny. However, fate had other plans. And as of now, they weren't looking so pretty. -Complete-
1. Endings Aren't Always New Beginnings

Breakdown of the Sphere

_I do not own Bleach._

Chapter 1: Endings Aren't Always New Beginnings

…

_Why?_

_Why must all things come to an end?_

Ichigo watched as Rukia slowly disappeared. It was hard to, being as they went through a lot together. However, Ichigo knew it was inevitable and would have happened someday. Defeating Aizen had been his greatest priority, and now was his greatest victory, but all victory comes with sacrifices, and this was one of them. As sad as it was, he relished in the fact that Rukia had been the start of his whole adventure into the world of the Shinigami, and was happy that she would be the last thing he saw as his journey ended.

Ichigo continued to watch even as not a single particle of Rukia was left. Being that he could not sense spiritual presences anymore, he did not feel his friends come up to him until Chad cleared his throat.

Chad looked in the direction where the small girl went too. "She's waving to you, from inside the Senkaimon." Ichigo smiled a little, but his eyes remained sad.

"Heh, Kurosaki," Uryu pushed up his glasses, "Never thought you would be a sentimental type of guy." Furious, Ichigo turned on the glasses wearing male.

"Sh-Shut up!" he yelled as Uryu calmly turned away. "It's just-I-I mean-Well…"

"Ichigo," the larger man in the group calmly consoled the orange haired boy. "We know what you mean. It's okay."

"Yeah," Orihime put in, "I mean, you and Kuchiki-san got along very well, and you guys went through a lot together. It's understandable that you would be sad that she won't be here anymore, or the fact that you won't… well, be able to see her again." She ended with a quiet note in order not to sadden the former substitute shinigami, but he remained with a semi-smile on his face.

"Yeah." he merely said as he turned toward the rest of them. "How are you guys holding up? What happened when I left?"

"Inoue healed us all," the Quincy responded. "And we just waited." None of the three dared ask what happened when Ichigo left. They heard the story from everyone else while Ichigo was asleep. The group stood in silence, none daring to even breathe as they watched the sun go down.

"Well," Chad suddenly turned to them, "I better go now." Orihime blushed red.

"M-Me too!" she exclaimed. "I'm meeting Tatsuki and we…" She trailed off, looking nervously at Ichigo. He merely looked down.

"Well then," the Quincy perked up, feeling the tension in the air. "Let's go!" Quickly they all bided each other goodbye. Soon only Ichigo was left.

"It's not raining." Ichigo murmured to himself, looking at the darkening sky. Always, when something bad had happened, it would rain. It had happened when they went to the graveyard, when Rukia was taken back to Soul Society, and when… when his mother died.

_But it's not raining_, Ichigo thought. It wasn't. It was dark, but the sky was clear of only a few clouds. _Is this a sign that this is good? _Looking around, Ichigo saw no one. Taking in a deep breath, Ichigo decided to do something he had not done for a while.

"So mom," he started, feeling like an idiot for talking to the air, "I was able to protect someone." His confidence began to flow into him. He looked to the sky. "I hope you noticed from Soul Society, and that you were proud of me." He looked down, tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to do so before. You know, in protecting… you."

Instantly, Ichigo felt his mother's arms around him, and her warm comforting voice saying, _It's okay_. All his life, he wanted to protect those he loved, but always they seem to slip through his fingers. But now, protecting Karakura, protecting Soul Society, protecting all those whom he grew fond of… that was worth it. Worth giving up his powers and giving up his status of being the strongest shingami. It was even worth never seeing Rukia again.

"Yeah, everything is good, isn't it mom?" Ichigo murmured. As he turned his back on the last bits of the sunset that still lingered in the sky, he felt the bright radiance from his mother bearing down on him. Quietly, he entered the Kurosaki Clinic, at peace at last.

…

Rukia watched as her friends disappeared from her sight. The door to the Senkaimon closed, and she turned around and walked into Soul Society. Quickly, she made her way to the 13th squad barracks, watching not to walk into anyone she knew. At this moment, she wanted to be alone.

She entered into her room and slammed the door shut. Gasping, Rukia sank to the floor. Why was she feeling this way? She felt an aching burn in her stomach, and a lump caught in her throat; most of all, she felt… lonely.

_I'm not alone!_ Rukia tried to reason with herself. _I have all my friends and family here! I'm not… alone… _Despite this, deep in her heart, she knew the reason for her sadness. No matter what she told Ichigo, she would not be seeing him again. Never. Not even watching him though he could not see her. And that thought dragged her heart to the deepest pits of her stomach.

Rukia felt something roll down her cheek. Touching it, she found a wet drop on her finger. _Tears, _she thought_, something I shouldn't have. Something a Shinigami never feels, Sadness. And why am I jealous? I should be happy for him! He can finally have a normal life! One with no shinigami duties, or bad guys trying to kill him every second, or… me…_

As much as Rukia wanted to tell herself to be happy for Ichigo, and the rest of her human friends, she couldn't. The mere thought of them growing up, and forgetting her was enough to send more waterfalls. This time Rukia did nothing to stop them.

"Rukia?" the voice rang out from outside her door, "Are you there? Can I come in?" Mastumoto didn't wait; she just pushed her way through.

"Rukia!" the older woman didn't hesitate to run to the younger girl's side. As they were the only females on the Hitsugaya rescue team sent to Karakura a while back, they had grown rather close.

"What's wrong?" the strawberry-blonde sank down next to the raven-haired girl. "Why are you crying?"

"No-Nothing." Rukia choked out. Obviously Matsumoto didn't take this. She leaned over and hugged the younger one.

"You didn't tell them?" she said softly. "You didn't tell them, about… your new assignment?" Nodding, Rukia began to sob quietly. She heard Matsumoto sigh.

Rukia had been chosen to lead a team into Hueco Mundo and they would stay there to ensure no trouble came out of it. She accepted, but most knew only because her brother made her. Going on this team would mean staying there for a while, and no seeing the human world. By the time her service was over, they would all be long dead, and chances of finding them in Rukongai would be close to zero. Plus, they might even be reincarnated and not remember Rukia. Soothingly, Matsumoto rubbed her back.

"Perhaps it was for the better." she heard Matsumoto murmured. Rukia sobbed harder. "You know Soul Society won't have a care for the humans after a year. It's better to cut off ties now." Silently, the two women sat there, one crying, one looking out the window.

…

_Why Gin? _

_Why did you have to leave me too?_

Seeing Rukia cry reminded Matsumoto of how she cried over Gin's dead body. Of how she refused to let go, and only did when Renji and Shuhei dragged her away from him. Soul Society gave him a hero's funeral, but Matsumoto wanted more. She wanted Gin to be alive, so that they could eat dried persimmons again, with no worries. So that they could do all the things they did before Gin joined Aizen, even before Gin became a shinigami. Back when they lived such carefree days.

But those days were over. Now they were burdened by betrayal, loyalty and unspeakable love. At least, love on Matsumoto's side. She could never see into Gin's empty shell. She never knew what he was thinking about, or what his emotions were. Despite being the closest one to Gin, she was probably the one who knew least about him. Part of her knew she wished to go back to the old days, where all this didn't matter.

However, that could never happen. She could only relive the good times in her head. Sincerely, that was enough for her. Focusing on the good that Gin had done was what kept her going-besides drinking of course. It was what she did for most of her time as a shinigami, drinking away the bad, and thinking primarily of the good times she and Gin shared.

Now, she had a new memory to reflect on. It had started sad, but ended up being the one thing she would never forget about Gin. It was the biggest thing he had done for her. Gin had left her with nothing; all ties cut off, and he had separated himself from her completely. While this left an ache in her chest, she knew that Gin did it… did it for her. He left her with a big hole in her heart so that when the time came, she would be able to move on.

…

Three men sat on nothing. Around them was nothing. Nothing at all. Their surrounding area was… nothing. Nothing was there.

"This sucks." the white haired one said. His always-present smirk was gone and all that was left was a frown.

"Yeah." a younger teen sat next to the first. Their third companion sat silent.

"Sooo…" the first spoke after a long pause, "We wait?"

"Yeah." the other answered again. Still silent, the third stood. Another long pause.

"It won't be long," he finally replied. "He won't take long." And from there, all three stayed in their position, waiting for the king to finally get on the horse again. They would wait as long as it took, forever waiting for the king to be reunited with the horse, for the time when the horse would take the king to victory once again.

…

Four figures stood in silence over the Kurosaki clinic. In the way they were positioned, they could easily attack the orange-haired boy that stood on the street, staring at the sunset. However, at this moment, all they would do is watch. As the sky grew dark, the boy went into the clinic. At this, all four figures dashed off, watching, and waiting for the perfect time to strike.

…

Wow! I wasn't really expecting that many people to like my story! Of course, it might be the fact that I did a whole lot of advertising (¬_¬). Well, this is an edited version of the story, because I had a bunch of mistakes in the previous one. And, to those who asked, I have decided to continue this. Previously I had written this in hopes that you, as the readers, would let your imagination run with what could happen next. However, I got a lot of reviews saying, "Please update!" and… well… a story started! This is post 423, just to let you know. Really, I already had an idea in my head, but didn't want to start it. Looks like I will now.

Thanks to all the people who reviewed the original chapter, and thanks to someone who wishes to remain anonymous who helped me edit this! Also, thank you so much for all your reviews! Really made my day when I went to my mail and saw another review email. And for the person that asked, Matsu and Ginny will have a part in this story. Not to give nothing away though.

And as always, I would appreciate a review! Anything would be great, have it be a compliment, criticism, or just a plain hi! Thank you and see you next chapter!

~~~EeLgIrL (^.^)


	2. You Think It's Over, But It's Not

Breakdown of the Sphere

_I do not own Bleach._

Chapter 2: You Think It's Over, But It's Not

…

"Ah, darn it." The archer dropped to the ground, his hand over a bloodstain that was slowly spreading. Immediately Orihime rushed over and healed him. Chad ran up to the hollow and gave it a great punch, but it only stumbled a little and let out a roaring laugh.

Uryu found the will to stand and shot a shaky arrow at the hollow. At the same time, Chad landed another punch on him. It worked; the hollow let out an ear-splitting scream and faded. Uryu groaned, staggered a little, and fell to the ground.

"I should be able to beat such a little hollow," He murmured, as Orihime again healed him. Chad stood next to the Quincy, breathing heavily. "Why was it so hard?"

"The hollow seemed stronger," Orihime sighed as more blood spurted from Uryu's wound. Immediately the Soten Kisshun halted the flow. "Something must be messing up the spiritual pressure around here."

"Something _is_ messing up the spiritual pressure around here." Uryu corrected her. "Don't you feel it?" They all looked up. None dared to say it, but they all knew something else was wrong. They could feel it in the air, a cold darkness looming above. It had been lurking for a while now, and was making them nervous. With Urahara gone, they had no way of telling what it was. And it was probably what was messing up the spiritual pressure. Could it possibly be…?

"Hey," Orihime interjected, her eyes staring suspiciously at the overpass. "Isn't that… Kurosaki-kun!" She cheerfully said the last part, waving at the orange haired teenager that walked over. It was Ichigo. He stared down at Uryu, slightly smirking.

"Hollow got the best of you?" he asked, smiling and shaking his head. Furious, the Quincy sat up, but once again his blood wound opened. Orihime summoned Soten Kisshun… again.

"Damm… you… Kurosaki," he groaned, slowly lying back down. "I can defeat a puny hollow, don't underestimate me." The orange haired boy smirked.

"Yet…" he started, waving at his wounds. Orihime giggled, and even Chad let out a chuckle. That boy may have lost his powers, but he sure didn't lose his stupid sense of humor.

"It's funny watching you guys, cause its like you're shooting imaginary arrows Ishida," Ichigo helped the Quincy slowly to his feet. Uryu winced, but no blood came out. "You know, cause I can't see spiritual particles." He paused, his face turning sad.

Silence filled the air. No one dared break it. The fact Ichigo brought up was a touchy subject, and they all knew it, even Ichigo.

"Well…" Ichigo said awkwardly. "I'll leave you to your work then." Without another word, he continued down the road, leaving his three friends to wonder, what would have been it he didn't lose his powers?

…

Could he really do this? Could he really watch his friends protect Karakura Town, while he sat helplessly on the sidelines? Could he really stand no longer being the guardian, but instead playing the role of helpless victim? Could he?

He continued walking toward his home. A year had passed since the Winter War. He was a senior, and was planning for college. Ishida and Chad had taken on the job of hollow hunting, because Soul Society apparently needed all of the shinigami back for "reinforcement." This left almost no one left to kill the hollows that showed up. Urahara and the Visoreds were also taken back to Soul Society for "questioning," and have not returned yet.

At least it was fewer hollows now. Because Ichigo no longer had his massive reiatsu, the less hollows were attracted to Karakura. This made Ishida and Chad's job much easier. It also brought relief to Ichigo that no one was getting attacked because of him.

_You've already decided you can live like this, _Ichigo thought_. You can live a normal life now, like you've always wanted. That's good enough… right? Yeah, it is._

Really, as much as he longed for the excitement of being a shinigami, Ichigo would much rather sit on the sidelines. He had a normal life, where he didn't have to see ghosts, or worry about enemies hurting his loved ones. Where he didn't have to try, and sometimes fail, in protecting them.

He was outside the Kurosaki home now. He turned and looked at the horizon, where the sun was just setting. It created a beautiful splash of colors across the sky. Without knowing, his eyes focused on the exact spot where the sun was.

The spot where Rukia went through the Senkaimon, and never came back.

She hadn't promise to return for a visit. She only said that she would be watching. However, Ichigo just knew that she hadn't. Never mind the fact that he couldn't sense spiritual pressure anymore. The two had been together for a long time, gone through a whole lot as a team, that he'd be damned if he couldn't recognize if she was around or not. That didn't require spiritual power, just the power of emotions. If Ichigo concentrated on how hard he wanted to know Rukia was there, all he had to do was concentrate on how much he wanted to see her.

Yet when he did that, he couldn't feel her presence.

Yeah, he thought that he would be fine without Rukia, but after living a couple weeks that way, he realized it wasn't possible. He missed how she would give him a good beating if he did something wrong, or was feeling down. He missed how she was ignorant of the human world, to the point that she would openly ask, "What's that?" about something that was regarded as a commonly known object. He missed how she was the only one not afraid of his punk attitude, often returning it with an attitude that matched. Heck, he even missed those Chappy drawings, and how she would hit him if he ever made fun of them. Most of all, he missed how they had fought together, worked together, and generally did everything together. Without her, he felt like a part of him was missing.

Why hadn't she come back? She could always bring a gigai and see him. And even if she couldn't, she could just come back to watch him, even if he couldn't see her. He would be comforted if he knew she was just there. But even that wasn't happening. No one spiritually aware had seen her around.

He would fully accept the fact that his powers were gone if Rukia would come to visit. Since she did not, he often wondered if because he no longer was the most powerful shinigami ever, his friends in Soul Society did not want to associate themselves with him. But Ichigo thought Rukia would never do that. She wasn't like that. She wouldn't care if he were a traitor, the lowest of the low in the eyes of the Soul Society. She would still come to see him, perhaps try and knock some sense into him if he were indeed a traitor, but still visit all the same.

But then, why wasn't she coming?

…

"No."

That word, so finale, so absolute, sank in Rukia's heart. She had asked, no _begged_, for the Captain-Commander to allow her to take a gigai to the human world. She wanted, no _needed _to see Ichigo, just once before she was sent off. But the Captain-Commander refused.

"Why?" Rukia refused to give up without a fight. She had resolved to make this trip. It would put ease to her worrying, and let Ichigo know the truth, no matter how harsh the truth was. Matsumoto agreed with this, or rather, she suggested it.

"_Visit him."_

"_What?" Rukia turned to the older woman, a confused look on her face. Matsumoto just looked at the floor, an undeniable sadness in her eyes._

"_Tell him how you feel- oh don't give me that look, I know you have some feelings for him." Matsumoto complained when she saw Rukia make a disgusted look. "At least go to tell him of your mission." Rukia's face fell. She didn't want too. Telling him would make the mission an absolute, and she didn't want that._

_Matsumoto saw the change in Rukia, and her face softened. "Look, I know you aren't happy about your mission. I wouldn't be either, but I would go because of my duty to Soul Society, which you should too. But you should at least tell him, so he will know you aren't around. Sure he will be sad, and maybe even angry, but then he will know. At least he won't be wondering about if you're there or not. And you will be at ease knowing that he knows, so you won't be worrying about how he's doing."_

After their talk, Matsumoto had convinced Rukia that visiting Ichigo was the right thing to do. Rukia had set out for the Captain-Commander's permission, only…

"No."

She was just met with the same word as before, the same dreaded word. However, even as the Captain-Commander hoped it was sufficient enough, Rukia wouldn't take it.

"Sir, their must be a reasonable answer behind that. What is it?"

…

The Captain-Commander saw the determination in the girl's eyes, the fierceness that said she wasn't going to let it go. That wasn't good. They couldn't let her see the boy. It could possibly ruin the mission; ruin what they had worked on for a year.

For the past year, they had trained her to lead the new recruits into what they called a "maintain order" mission. However, almost no one knew what the real mission was, except the captains.

It was a suicide mission.

" That is not a reasonable way to use the gigai!" He blurted out, and immediately knew it was lame excuse. Rukia Kuchiki knew it too, and she narrowed her eyes at him. The Captain Commander sighed. Why? Why couldn't she just accept it and go?

Fine, the Captain-Commander needed to use a last resort. He had hoped not to have to say this, but he had no choice.

"We erased his memory!" he bellowed, perhaps a little to forceful. However, Rukia overlooked that, focusing more on what he said.

"Y-You erased his m-memory?" she stuttered, eyes widening, her mouth dropping in shock. The Captain-Commander closed his eyes and sighed. The girl's shock and sadness was too obvious. He disliked how he was the one who caused it, but for the sake of the mission… he would do anything. This was too important.

"Yes, we did. He won't remember you, and it won't do you any good to see him. I advise you to go now, Kuchiki Rukia." He watched as the girl picked herself, and mumbling an apology and she quickly bounded out the door. He supposed she lost her fight after the initial shock, which would give them enough time to get her ready for the mission, both physically and emotionally. If she had seen the Kurosaki boy, she might decide that she missed him, and decide to stay in the human world. Love could overcome all barriers, and then they would have a problem.

The Captain-Commander swept down the hallway of 1st company. Sasakibe fell into step behind him. They both made there way down to the holding cell, where the Urahara group and Visored were held. They needed more information, and that were they would get it.

The Captain-Commander remembered the first questioning. He was not particularly proud of it, but they had received the information needed to decide on the suicide mission to Hueco Mundo.

_Urahara sat in a chair in an empty room. It was very much like the holding cells in the human world, and Urahara noted they renovated the place since his time._

_Across from him stood Chojiro Sasakibe. He was known as being the quietest lieutenant in all of Soul Society, but when interrogating someone, he was ruthless._

"_Tell us, Kisuke Urahara!" the white haired man yelled. Three days had passed, and no one was spilling. The Visored had no idea what was causing the balance of the world to go off course, and the rest of Urahara's group were to scared to spill anything. That left the man himself._

_The Soul Society went into chaos a year ago when the Research Institute shared that the balance of the human world and Soul Society was tipping. They had no idea what it was, and with Soul Society already unstable after the Winter War, this info made them nervous. Extremely nervous. As Mayuri Kurotsuchi could not figure out what was happening, they had called-more like forced- Urahara to come to Soul Society and tell them. _

"_We know you know, Urahara," Sasakibe continued, walking around to his side of the table. "So you can share that information with us, and walk out here without any trouble."_

_Without any trouble? That would never happen. They would obviously keep him imprisoned. The Visored were an incredibly large power source, and with Urahara's extensive knowledge, Soul Society hit the double jackpot with this. Urahara knew this, so he wouldn't give into sharing that "extensive knowledge" no matter what. Or so he thought, until they did something that he would forever regard as unforgivable._

_Sasakibe stared down at Urahara. The green clad man's head was down, and he was completely silent. 'Fine,' Sasakibe thought, turning and walking toward the door. 'Bring it on Urahara. Time to bring on the ultimate weakness.'_

_A day later…_

_Urahara was brought to yet another room. He had no idea what was going on, just that a guard came and took him here._

"_Hello Urahara," he heard a voice say to him. Turning, he saw Chojiro Sasakibe standing there. Next to him was no other then Mayuri Kurotsuchi. _

"_Hello, Sasakibe, Kurotsuchi," Urahara mocked bowed at them. "So, what brings us all to this lovely place?" Urahara straightened up and grinned. Mayuri returned the smile._

"_Why don't you take a look at our screen there?" Mayuri drawled. "You may find something of your interest." Urahara turned in the direction he was pointing too, and his grin turned into shock._

_Ururu Tsumugiya hung on a strange device execution style. Her body was all battered up, and she seemed defeated. Urahara's eyes widened, and he ran toward the screen. _

"_What are you doing? Let her out Sasakibe!" he yelled at the man's direction, his eyes full of pain. He turned back toward the screen, and saw the rest. The Visored's, Jinta and Tessai were all sprawled on the floor, battered up. Furious, Urahara turned onto Mayuri and Sasakibe. _

"_Let-them-all-damn-out!" Urahara thundered. The guard tried to catch him, but Urahara shook him off. Sasakibe held his hand up, and the guard went back._

"_Tell us what you know." Sasakibe simply said. Urahara threw his hands up in disbelief._

"_It's nothing! I don't know!" he exclaimed. Mayuri smiled sadistically, and motioned to Nemu. Nemu in return hit a button._

_Immediately Ururu's screams filled the air. Eyes wide, Urahara turned to the screen. She was being electrocuted. The electric surrounded her, crackling all over her body. Her eyes were wide; her mouth was open and her back arched as she tried to stand the pain._

"_Damn it! Stop this Sasakibe! This is a little girl's life you're playing with!" Urahara begged, turning away from the screen. Sasakibe continued to look at him. _

"_I have stated what I want. Now it's up to you to deliver." Sasakibe looked toward the screen. "She looks like she's in pain, doesn't she? The rest definitely got what they deserved." Urahara stood in shock. Had they really been this mean? He had not shared the information because it would be suicide to send anyone to Hueco Mundo with the monsters that laid in wait there. However, Soul Society would refuse to listen to his warnings, and more lives would be lost._

"_400 watts." Mayuri directed Nemu. Urahara couldn't stand it. That was death._

"_Wait!" Urahara cried out. Nemu stopped the machine. Urahara sighed a breath or relief. He wouldn't give a damn as to what Soul Society did. To torture a little girl like that, he would have to share it. No matter the outcome, his family was the most precious thing to him._

"_I'll tell you."_

The Captain-Commander had heard everything. Urahara told them that four monsters were born from the four halves of the Hogyoku. They were beyond the power of any Captain. It would be suicide to send even a team of the best shinigami against them. He warned them against doing so, but the Soul Society refused to hear anymore. Nothing could defeat the Gotei 13 captains. (The Captain-Commander overlooked the fact that Aizen did, as that was not helpful to his argument.)

They formed a "suicide" team, consisting of many new recruits, and members who were not strong in battle to hold off the monsters, just until Soul Society could afford to send their captains and lieutenants to battle. They then needed to pick someone who knew Hueco Mundo well so that they could lead the troops.

The humans were out obviously. Kurosaki Ichigo had lost his powers, and he was regarded as Captain-class so he wouldn't have been sent anyway. Ishida Uryu hated Soul Society, so he wouldn't be a good selection either. Sado Yasutora did not have leadership qualities, and Inoue Orihime was too weak, along with the fact that she was still recuperating from her time in Hueco Mundo. They could not let an emotionally unstable girl lead a team into the place that caused the most horrors.

That only left Kuchiki Rukia, as Abarai Renji was a lieutenant. Captain Kuchiki had strongly objected at first. The Captain-Commander never saw the man show that much emotion before. He refused to send Rukia into a death valley, until his title as a captain was put on the line. The Captain-Commander knew that despite any love the cold man showed, the role of Captain of 6th company was more important. Losing the title would disgrace his family too much, and he was too loyal to them to do so. In the end he grudgingly let her go.

Too much had been put into this mission. Many strings were pulled, many examinations and selections took place, and training was excruciating for everyone. If one girl ruined the whole mission, all the hard work would be wasted.

_No, _the Captain-Commander thought._ I will not allow a single girl to ruin this. She will be happy in the end, when she is promoted to lieutenant for her good deed. That will be an absolute promise to her. That is, if she gets out of there alive._

…

Ryo Kunieda watched as Ichigo walked down the road. He gave her a short greeting as he passed and continued on. She continued to watch him until she could not see him.

"Gekisen-sama." She spoke lowly into her book. Inside was a microphone, concealed within the pages. It allowed her to contact her boss without anyone knowing.

"Gekisen-sama." She said it again, and heard a crack as the woman picked up on the other end.

"_Yes Kunieda, what is it?"_ Kunieda felt a slight chill in her. Whenever she heard that cool, icy voice, it made her nervous and scared.

_After this, I don't have to work for her anymore, _she reminded herself_. Don't fail it now._

"Kurosaki Ichigo is emitting strong negative feelings," She murmured, as a family walked by. They were all laughing, with talk on a party that was later. They looked happy. Oh, how Kunieda wished for that, not an overworked mother, a drinking father with so much debt, and a brother who didn't care. But wishes were only wishes, and almost never came true.

"_Really?" _Gekisen-sama's voice brought Kunieda back to reality. _"How is this different from all the other times you've called me?" _Kunieda looked into her book. Most people would think she was engrossed in the story, but she in reality was checking her monitors. Concealed in the book were many gadgets that were provided to her as a spying technique. Her target? Ichigo Kurosaki. Her bosses had told her to watch for any negative emotions coming from him.

"The reading is at a high end now," Kunieda replied. It was true; the meter was in the red area, which meant extreme negative emotions. "This has only happened once before." She remembered only once when it was this low, when he, Chad and Orihime had come to school with multiple injuries, and when those new transfer students had came. She had informed Gekisen-sama as well, but she dismissed it that time. Hopefully this time would be acceptable.

"_Good." _Gekisen-sama said._ "I will inform Maru-dono. Continue watching Ichigo. Don't worry girlie, when we get what we want, you won't have to work for us anymore. Keep that in mind girlie."_ The crack meant that Gekisen-sama left the mic.

Kunieda put down her book and sighed heavily. She had no idea what her mission was and why she was spying on Kurosaki Ichigo. All that mattered was that she completed this mission. Once she was free of this, she would ask someone. But right now, she couldn't care less.

…

Well! A new chapter! Sorry it's a bit late; I've been trying to sort out this story a bit. Hopefully new chapters will have faster updates; I have the rest of the story all planned out. Like, everything is all done, but not down on paper, or better yet, a word doc.

Sorry if there are any mistakes, I'm practicing my grammar for English, cause my teacher says that I need the help in that. Therefore, I'm editing this by myself, so it's sort of like studying for English. If you catch any mistakes, feel free to send a review, but I kindly ask you explain how, so then I learn! It's a win-win situation! (I'm not sure how…) I'm sure a lot of this won't make sense now, but don't worry, everything will come together soon. Hopefully.

This story won't be longer than 15 chapters, possible 10. I do hope you will stay to the end! :D Also, I'm not sure if Kunieda will have a big part in this story. I just really like her character, and needed someone to be a spy. Seeing as she always has a book in her face, and is really mysterious, she was the perfect person. The idea of her book as a spying thing was my brother's idea, and he helped me design it, which is why it sounds like an old gadget thing and isn't so high tech. He's into that stuff.

As always, please leave a review! I don't care what, a compliment, criticism, or even hi. Heck, if you leave a review that's like "I hate ur story and I hate u!" I would appreciate that, and feel happy that you went out of your way to read my story and leave a review, thought I would feel sad that you hate me. It's understandable though; I'm not so lovable.

Okay, let me stop wasting your time now. See you next time!

~~~EeLgIrL (^.^)


	3. Freedom Doesn't Mean You're Free

Breakdown of the Sphere

_I don't own Bleach._

Chapter 3: Freedom Doesn't Mean You're Free

…

"Is he ready?" the silver-haired man asked his companion. She responded by closing the mic.

"I think," she replied, turning to face him. Her green hair was cut just past her shoulders, which she had tied up into two pigtails. "Kunieda told me his emotional state reached the way it was before he went to Hueco Mundo. His spiritual self is trying to wake up."

"Gekisen-sa-" the man started, but the said person cut him off.

"Call me Chiru-chan," she firmly stated, rounding on him. "Maru-dono, Gekisen-sama is only for Kunieda to call me, you're closer. Everyone else calls me Chi-"

"Chiru-chan!" a preppy voice rang out. Smirking at Maru-dono as if to prove her point, Chiru-chan turned to the new person. A small girl with long, beige flowing hair came running up to her, followed by two other people.

"Hello Ta-sama." Chiru-chan greeted the girl. Her cheerful face turned into pout.

"It's Ka-sama!" She pouted, crossing her arms at the older girl. Maru-dono looked confused.

"Isn't it Sa-sama?" He asked. She shook her head. One of the other two females behind the small girl, the one in a skin-tight black suit, scoffed.

"Damn guys, use the terms correctly! Sama is used correctly with the whole name, KANA-SAMA." She drew out the last part to make a point. "Same with Dono. Say Ich-"

"Whatever, Aoi-KUN." Chiru-chan yawned. "Anyway, what do you guys want?"

"What is the latest news?" Kana asked, her hair falling into her face. She made no effort to push it away. The other two looked on expectantly as well.

"I think it's time," Chiru-chan smiled down at the younger girl, who grinned up at her through her hair. "Ichigo Kurosaki is reaching that point, and it will be easy to go for him. The Visoreds and Urahara won't be able to protect him now."

"Let's wait for Kunieda to come, with the actual data before we decide anything," Maru-dono said thoughtfully. "I mean… this may just be a mistake. It may not be time." All the girls frowned.

"Maru-dono, I don't wanna wait!" Kana whined, standing up to her full height, which still did not reach Maru-dono even as he sat down. "I've been cooped up so long, can't we act now?"

"Don't worry girls, we won't wait long to get what we want," Maru-dono smirked. "Just wait a little longer, okay? Fighting will come soon."

…

Rukia ran as fast as she could. She needed to see Urahara, pick up a gigai, meet with Ichigo, and tell him about her mission. And she needed to do that without the Soul Society knowing she was gone.

Rukia knew the Captain-Commander was wrong. Ichigo would never allow them to erase his memories. He was too much of an ally, even without his powers, for them to do that. If his powers were to awaken like his fathers did, they had the strongest shinigami right there. Erasing his memories though, that would not help that.

At least, she wished that they didn't.

Hell, she had no idea what was up. If they erased his memories, she would never be able to forgive them. But they wouldn't. He was too important too them. Was he? Urahara would have the answers. As much as she hated relying on the shady businessman for anything, she knew he would know.

Rukia turned a corner and stopped in front of the Urahara Shoten. Being as it was night, she didn't expect Jinta or Ururu to be outside cleaning, but the inside was empty too. This made Rukia suspicious.

"Hey, Urahara! I need to borrow a gigai!" she shouted, banging on the door. "Urahara! Answer me, damn it!"

"He's not there," a silky voice purred. On instinct, Rukia turned to face her assailant, ready to attack, but saw no one. The voice sighed.

"Don't you ever learn?" the voice continued. Rukia continued to look around. "Oi! Down here!" Rukia suddenly realized who it was. Looking down sheepishly, she saw the black cat.

"Ahh, sorry Yoruichi-sama," she blushed, embarrassed. "But, what did you mean by he's not here?"

"They took him," she responded angrily, turning sharply on her heels. "Look, the Urahara Shoten is closed. It's been like that for a while, about a year." Rukia's stomach turned. That was when the Winter War ended. She turned to look at the storefront. Indeed, there was a sign that said closed on it, and inside dust was gathering. It looked like an abandoned shop.

"They took everyone in the shop, and the Visoreds." Yoruichi continued, the bitter obvious in her voice. "I just manage to evade them. Why? Why would the- WHAT are you doing?" Rukia didn't hear the rest. She ran off in another direction, searching for Orihime, Uryu or Chad's spiritual pressures. She would be able to talk with Ichigo through one of them. It wouldn't be as private as she wanted it to be, but then they would all know of her disappearance, so Ichigo wouldn't have to relay the message to them. She wondered if Ichigo would know why the Soul Society took the Urahara group and Visoreds, presuming that he still had his memories.

Rukia didn't want to think of the alternative. She picked up on Orihime and Uryu's spiritual pressures and ran in that direction.

Right now, all she needed to do was see Ichigo.

…

Urahara sat in the corner of his cell. The screams of Ururu were still ringing in his ear, despite that being almost a whole year ago. All that was on his mind since then was the fact that because of him, his family nearly died.

Mayuri had reassured him, in his own freakish way, that Ururu had lived. However, she was so traumatized her enhanced powers were disabled. Urahara didn't care. As long as she was safe, as long as they were all safe.

Yet, he knew they would never be fully safe with the Hogyoku unleashing its full power and potential. If he had known what would happen when he created the Hogyoku, he would have never made it. All this fighting, lives lost, it was not worth it. And now he knew the full power. It made him guiltier to know he was behind it.

Urahara had thought the Hogyoku broke down barriers between Shinigami and Hollows. Aizen had thought the Hogyoku materialized the heart's inner desires. What they had not known at the time was that it did both. If a Shinigami had a burning desire so great, the Hogyoku would grant them the power to make their desire reality. Aizen had wished to rule the world. The Hogyoku had reacted to that and given him the strength he needed. The same was for the hollows. The Espadas all had inclinations, such as Starrk wanted companions. The Hogyoku allowed him to separate his soul, creating Lilynette Gingerback.

Yasutora Sado and Orihime Inoue received their weapons because their hidden abilities were considered "hollow abilities", so the Hogyoku worked for them. The effects of Hollowfication distorted each of the Visoreds, so that in their hollow form, their desire was for more power. Therefore, the Hogyoku granted them such, without their knowledge.

Urahara leaned back and sighed. And now, four rouge shinigami or hollows had the power of ¼ of an awaken Hogyoku. This time, instead of the Hogyoku granting them the strength, the Hogyoku had given itself to them. That was beyond what the Visoreds had, what Orihime and Chad had, even beyond Aizen. Aizen had a sleeping Hogyoku, and only toward the end of his battle had the Hogyoku begin to "wake up."

A fully awaken Hogyoku's power was immense, and even ¼ of said power would be stronger then Aizen. Urahara believed the Soul Society, no matter how much they tried, could not defeat all four. The Soul Society had hardly recovered from the Winter War, yet they were throwing themselves into another.

And this, time, Ichigo couldn't help them. Was the Soul Society that dumb to believe they could face these monsters, which are beyond what Aizen was?

Oh yeah, they were.

…

Ryo Kunieda stared at the floor, praying that none of the five other people in the room would ask her to look up. They currently weren't paying attention to her though; all were analyzing the data that she had been collecting. This wasn't the first time she met them, but back then the timing wasn't as crucial as now. Her life rested on this meeting. If they disliked what the results were, they wouldn't hesitate to kill her.

"So Kunieda," Gekisen-sama smiled at Ryo, but there was no warm in her expression. "Explain the time when you called me. When Kurosaki Ichigo's negativity went to the red area."

"At approximately 5:35 pm ma'am," Ryo trembled, her eyes still on the floor. "Ichigo Kurosaki left a overpass to meet with his friends. Uryu Ishida was on the floor with blood all over him, Orihime Inoue had a weird orange light hovering over him. Yasutora Sado was punching in the air. They all stopped when Kurosaki came over."

"And then?" Gekisen-sama pressed on.

"They talked for a little bit, and then Kurosaki walked down, passing me. That was when the monitor went haywire. It fluctuated for a while, but ended up all the way at the bottom of the red zone."

"And that is when you called me?" Gekisen-sama asked. Ryo nodded her head. There was silence in the air for a while. Ryo waited with bated breath. Finally, the only man in the room spoke up.

"You understand if your findings are what we want…" He started. Ryo cut in.

"My father's debt will be paid off." She finished. From what she figured, that man was their leader. They addressed him as Maru-dono. He scared her, with his closed eyes and cold smile. She never saw his eyes open, or his face in a frown.

"And if it isn't?" A young girl with long hair asked happily.

"I will die." Ryo gulped, her eyes staring intensely on the floor. The girl looked even happier at this.

More silence. _Waiting for the fate of her life_, Ryo thought, _was the most intense moment ever. Not knowing if you will live or die. And knowing that the people in charge of the decision are right in front of you…_

"Kunieda, look at me." Gekisen-sama voice purred, breaking into Ryo's thoughts. She tilted her eyes up a little, still not meeting anyone's face.

"Kunieda, LOOK at ME!" Gekisen-sama demanded. Ryo jolted upright.

"Unfortunately," Gekisen-sama smiled, putting her hand on the sword. Ryo closed her eyes, expecting the worst. They wouldn't even let her say bye to her mother, her brother or the idiot who's fault this was? Would they care that she was dead, or would her father be angry that she was unable to pay off his stupid debts?

"Your father's debt to us is nulled, meaning you are free." Ryo's eyes snapped open. Gekisen-sama was frowning now. She seemed to be angry that her fun was over.

Had she heard right? Were they really letting her live? Did she really complete the mission?

"Stop staring at me like an idiot." Gekisen-sama snapped. "We are people of our word. We promised you would be free of debt if you delivered us what we want, and you did." Ryo stared at her, the shock of the news slowly wearing off as she processed the information. She was paid off her father's debt. She was no longer a pawn to Gekisen-sama and her friends. She was free.

"T-Thank you, Gekisen-sama" she stuttered, tears falling from her eyes. Gekisen-sama eyes narrowed, but she turned and looked at the data again.

"Uh, Gekisen-dono?" Ryo murmured, her eyes on the floor again. Gekisen-sama turned, suspious and slightly pleased at the use of Dono.

Ryo felt that she needed to know. Now, that she was free, it should be okay to ask, right?

"Why was I monitoring Ichigo Kurosaki?" Ryo asked, looking up at Gekisen-sama. "I mean, what are you going to do to him?" Gekisen-sama's face turned to anger.

"Never. Question. Me. Like. That." Gekisen-sama hissed, getting closer to Ryo. Her eyes looked dangerous. Ryo took two steps back "And don't ask me that question you br-"

"I'm sorry!" Ryo cried out, throwing herself to the floor, head bowed to Gekisen-sama. "I won't ask, I promise! Forgive me!" Gekisen-sama seemed surprised at Ryo's action.

"Whatever," she muttered. "Just… don't tell anyone about anything you did for us. If you do we WILL kill you. This mission MUST be kept a secret. No one knows that we ever interacted, understand?" Ryo nodded, sitting up. To that, all five of them left, leaving Ryo to sit in the middle of the room. There, she made a conclusion of what to do.

She needed to tell Kurosaki. He was in danger.

She had no idea why Kurosaki was targeted, why they were so interested in him. Despite their warning, Kurosaki deserved to know that he was in trouble. And maybe, Kurosaki would know what this mission was for. She was still curious.

She ran out the door. The breeze felt good, the sun shined bright, everything was beautiful. She felt tears of joy rolling down her cheeks. She was alive and free of one more debt. She ran down another street in search of Kurosaki, until remembering she did not know where he was. She reckoned he wasn't home on this beautiful day, and despite following him around for a while, she had no idea where he went on such days. Slowing down from her run, she ran into Michiru Ogawa.

"Kunieda, hel-are you CRYING?" Michiru looked at her stunned. Ryo stared at her. Of course, she had a cold personality in school. Crying was something she never did, something not associated with her.

_Never mind that_, she thought. "Ogawa, do you know where Kurosaki Ichigo is?" As soon as she asked it, she cursed herself. How would she know? It wasn't like Michiru stalked him, unlike herself. Though, it was worth a try.

"Yeah, he's at the ball field with the other boys. But Kunieda are you cryi-?" Ryo didn't let her finish. She ran off for the ballpark. Turning a corner, it came into her sight.

She was almost there; she could see the boys taking a break. It was perfect. She could ask Kurosaki to come over for a second and-

"We told you not to tell anyone." A girly voice lilted out, but it was empty of any pleasantness. Kunieda halted and turned around, her eyes wide. All she saw before she blacked out was an amber eye, surrounded by beige hair, which was wild with excitement.

…

Wow, I actually ended at a suspenseful part. There was suppose to be something else here, but I decided to put that in the next chapter, because it ended nicely. Or something. Personally, I really don't like that last part. It came out bad.

Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry to anyone who cares! This was supposed to come out earlier! Seriously, my chapters aren't even that long and yet I can't get it done! Like, I have writer's block, and have to do my schoolwork first. And yeah, this was suppose to be out yesterday, but I got lazy and was looking up pictures of Gajeel and Levy (for anyone who reads Fairy Tail, my new favorite couple!) But I'm embarrassed because people can write 20 pages in only a couple of days. I think it's been 14 days since the last chapter, and this is barely 6 pages. :'(

Anyway, yay, good ending! The next chapter will be out soon too, because it is literally done. So yay! Also, Gekisen-sama and Chiru-chan are the same person ok? And Ka/Ta/Sa-sama is all the same person-Kana-sama. Then there is Maru-dono and Aoi-kun, and yeah, another girl. Also, when I write, I use proper honorifics only when someone speaks to that person. I use their first name when they are saying something. An example would be, **"Kana-sama!" Ryo cried out**. You see? Ryo addressed Kana in proper honorifics, but I used her first name when addressing her. My mother helped me out with all this, but she took Japanese when she was younger though, so sorry if some of it is wrong.

And as always, leave a review. Really, when I see a new review, I'm happy. I mean, say hi and I'll be happy that you said hi. And hey, if you see something wrong (like grammar or contradiction of the actual story) don't hesitate to point it out. I won't get offended, I'll be glad someone can pick them out and cares enough that it's wrong. And then I'll spend forever trying to change it. But yeah, leave a review.

Well then, I guess all left to say is see you next time!

~~~EeLgIrL (^.^)


	4. The Start of Something Not So Good

Breakdown of the Sphere

_I do not own Bleach._

Chapter 4: The Start of Something Not So Good...

…

"Kana-sama, where have you been?" Aoi-kun greeted the small girl as she stepped into the room. She grinned.

"Takin' care of tra~itors," she sang out. Everyone turned to look at her.

"So, Kunieda did spill," The green haired lady acquiesced. She sighed. "She was starting to grow on me too. Did you kill her?"

"No-o," Kana retorted, looking offended at her for suggesting such a thing. "I erased her memory. Something we should have done a while ago," she added, giving her friend an annoyed look. "Then we wouldn't be faced with traitors, eh Chiru-chan."

"Never mind that, you solved it so everything is fine." Chiru-chan turned to face everyone. "Well, then, with everyone here, I can tell you the good news." Kana sat up straight. Everyone else paid full attention to her. Chiru-chan smiled.

"It is time." They all cheered and grinned. Aoi-kun and Kana high-fived, and the other girl pumped her fist in the air.

"I get to fight Tiger," Aoi-kun called out. She tied her hair up into a ponytail. "We need to finish what we started."

"I will fight Kurosaki if you all do not mind," Chiru-chan spoke up. "I would like to see his power, if he is willing to show me it."

"Yuppie, I bet you are the only one able to bring it backie," Kana smiled brightly, and turned to her companion. "Me and Neesan will take on anyone else, kay?" The girl next to her nodded, her eyes betraying no emotion. She had on a mask similar to that of a bandit, but her hair stuck out.

"Kana, it's Neesan and I," Aoi-kun corrected her. "And Sani-san, are you sure you're okay with that?" Sani-san nodded again.

"Girls, we were born for this day," Chiru-chan announced. "So at night, we shall strike." All the others responded by sheathing their swords. Finally, after years of waiting, it was time.

…

Ichigo Kurosaki sat on the park bench. He wasn't sure of the time; he just knew that it was late. However, he didn't feel like heading home just yet. All that he knew of was the date. And the date bothered him like hell.

It was exactly one year, two weeks and three days since the Winter War. One year, two weeks and three days since he had his powers. And it was one year, two weeks and three days since he saw Rukia. And this bothered him for one reason.

Why were they consecutive numbers?

Ichigo groaned. Damn math.

He stood up and decided to face the inevitable. His dad would no doubt ground him for going over his 6 o'clock curfew. Who had a curfew that early anyway?

Really though, that wasn't what bothered him. He just thought that so that he wouldn't have to reflect on the real truth.

It was one year, two weeks and three days since Rukia Kuchiki left him and never returned. By now, Ichigo felt he had no choice but to accept the fact that she was not coming back.

Whatever. She moved on with life, and he supposed he should move on with his. He would just forget everything they did, everything they went through. The consecutive number thing was probably a sign or something.

Right?

Ichigo heard yells from ahead of him. Looking up, he saw a gang of boys beating up a little kid. Groaning, he ran ahead, swinging a punch at the closest guy to him. It contacted with his face, and he promptly fell to the floor.

As he fought his way through all the gang members, it was no surprise that they went down easily. One good thing that came from his shinigami days was his body strength. Reflexes and a body he honed to win, it was coming in handy at times like this. Granted, it wasn't as strong as before, but it was still great.

One approached from behind with a knife. Ichigo turned, grabbed the knife and wrenched it out of the guy's hand. However, another member came from the side and swung a brass knuckle. Ichigo just managed to avoid it before having to punch yet another gang member. By then, Ichigo saw where he was. He was in the infamous Gang Alley, where all the punks and bad boys hung out.

The ultimate rule in this alley? If someone goes down, the rest avenge him.

_Damn, there are too many of the them_, Ichigo thought as he kicked another one in the stomach. _I underestimated the amount; I'm outnumbered by too much._ Another wave of members came over. Ichigo was getting tired, and he wasn't sure how he would get out of this… alive.

Suddenly, something came from the sky and landed on one of the guys, kicking him down. It was a person, female to be exact. She moved in a blur, taking down one after another. Ichigo sat there, stunned. She was strong, and fast. She was what Ichigo was before he lost his powers. Was she a shinigami? Ichigo pushed that thought aside. She couldn't have been, or else he wouldn't be able to see her.

In the end, most of the guys were on the floor, groaning in pain. The rest had run as fast as they could away from the demon. The woman then grabbed Ichigo by his shirt collar and pulled him out of the alley. They went to the park, where Ichigo had saw Uryu and Chad fighting a hollow a few days ago. He tried not to think about it, especially the awkwardness that day.

Ichigo looked up at his savior. She stood there, looking in the opposite direction from Ichigo.

"T-Thank you." He managed to utter as he held onto a ledge for support. She still did not acknowledge him. Ichigo was worried. Did she injure herself fighting off those guys?

"Umm… excuse me? Are you ok?" Ichigo asked, reaching out to turn the woman around gently. She swiveled around at his touch.

She had dark green hair, with bangs that swept to the side. Her blue eyes, which contrasted greatly with her hair, looked excited. Ichigo took a step back, and one more as the girl whipped out a sword.

"Woah, wait, uh… w-what are y-you doing?" Ichigo stammered, eyes widening at the sword. The girl giggled.

"Uh, lady…" Ichigo started, but she shook her head.

"Call me Gekisen, kay?" she countered, smiling at Ichigo. Ichigo was at a lost for words. How could she be so calm at this time? Perhaps because she had the sword and he didn't? And why did she help him when she was just going to kill him now?

"I wanna see that power of yours," she pestered, staring at him intently. Ichigo looked down, eyes wide. Was she indeed a shinigami?

"I'm not one of those damn shinigami," as if she read his thoughts, she answered his question. "Or a Visored or hollow or whatever else you know."

"Well, if you know that much, then you should know that I don't have anymore shinigami powers." Ichigo pointed out, as he slid a little to the side. "So therefore, I cannot show you it. Therefore, I will be going…" With that Ichigo took off, running as fast as he could from the crazy lady. He heard her groan before she took off after him.

_Hopefully I can outrun her,_ Ichigo thought, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. All he had to do was get to near his house, and then his father could come and rescue him. However, that thought was gone as she came from above and landed in front of him, the blade pointing at Ichigo again. Ichigo swiveled, but she was on the other side as well. Shunpo. Great, he was trapped.

"I didn't want to do this…" she moaned, disappointment clear in her words. "But I don't have much time. If you won't summon your powers out by yourself, then I'll force it out of you." She took another step toward him and muttered something incomprehensible.

Ichigo felt a sudden blow, as if a massive wind hit him. Holding his hands up to his face, he couldn't stop himself from flying back. However, instead of crashing into the ground, he floated an inch off of it. He felt as if he was lying on a big plush pillow.

The woman stood over him. Holding her sword out again, she muttered something else and an electric wave shot out off her sword into Ichigo. Pointing the sword upward, Ichigo followed it and was promptly set on his feet. The electric current didn't hurt; in fact, it gave him a sort of bliss feeling. He felt calm, happy… at peace.

What was this?

She mumbled once more. The electric current left Ichigo's body, and he fell to his knees.

There was emptiness where he had once felt happiness, and he had a massive headache. The lady looked on with a cold stare. He looked up, but something blinded him. He closed his eyes.

He saw buildings. They were all different sides. Rows and columns of windows lined the buildings. This place was familiar.

Three men sat in the middle of all the buildings. His view zoomed onto them. There were two dressed in all black, but the one in the middle of them was entirely white. He smiled, and his eyes narrowed into a sinister look.

"Hey king," he cackled in a sarcastic cold voice. "Ya miss us?"

…

"Kuchiki-san!" Orihime ran up to Rukia. Behind her was Uryu. Rukia smiled at the two.

"Ah, Inoue! I was looking for you! And, you can call me Rukia." she replied. The other girl gave a giggle.

"And you can call me Orihime then!" She cheerfully said. Then her face dropped into a pout.

"Why haven't you been visiting Rukia-san? We all really miss you." Orihime's brow furrowed as she tilted her head and looked Rukia. Rukia sighed and dropped her head.

"I-I've been busy." She lied. Why did she do that? This was Orihime, one of her close friends! There was no reason to hide her real reason. She was going to have to share it anyway. Nevertheless, the lie didn't pass through the two humans, as they continued to look at her suspiciously.

"I-I need you're help Orihime," Rukia started, but Orihime shushed her.

"You want to talk to Kurosaki-kun, is that correct?" She smiled at Rukia. Her gray orbs met Rukia's violet ones, and in that moment, it seemed that Orihime was able to understand. She brightened up and stood up straight, her face pressed into a mock-serious face.

"Find Kurosaki-kun it is!" She turned and marched on down a street. Uryu sighed.

"Inoue, he's down that way," the Quincy mumbled, causing Orihime to turn and march down the way the Quincy pointed, all without changing face. Rukia giggled at this, but realizing something, turned to Uryu surprised and curious.

"How do you know?" she questioned. The Quincy closed his eyes.

"I feel his damn blasting rei-" he stopped short, his eyes snapping open. Orihime turned, her eyes wide, her mouth opened. Rukia looked at Uryu with disbelief.

And then they felt it too.

…

Two figures watched the three friends. They saw how shocked they were at feeling their companion's reiatsu again.

"Heh," The one on the right chuckled. Her hair was very long, passed her feet. It was dusty brown. She was rather short and had the appearance of a young girl, and her hair covered her face and most of her body. She wore a baggy white nightgown with long sleeves. Pushing her hair back, she revealing two amber eyes. She turned to her companion.

"Which one do you want, Neesan?" She asked. The other stared down at the group. She wore a miniskirt with ankle boots and a strapless shirt that revealed most of her stomach. She held a dark green katana in her hands, on which she wore fingerless gloves up to her wrist. She had on a bandit's mask that covered her mouth and nose. All that could be seen of her face was her eyes, one soft and lavender, the other cold and stormy blue. A black ponytail stuck from the back of her head, with the ends pointed up.

No words were exchanged between the two, but an agreement was made. The longhaired girl smirked.

"Neesan, you sure you wanna take her on? Won't it be hard for you?" The girl joked, obviously trying to find a crack in the other's hard demeanor. The silent girl merely stared down at her younger companion, and swooped off the building top. Sighing, the longhaired girl did the same, spreading her arms wide like a bird, her hair flying out behind her.

…

Chad walked home from his guitar practice. He enjoyed music, as music was very relaxing to him. He had wanted to play an instrument, and picked the guitar. His fingers were too big for piano, he didn't have flexibility for violin, and drums were too… loud. Guitar was by far his favorite of all that he had tried, so he had stuck to it.

And she also had liked it when he played.

Pushing that though from his mind, Chad turned a corner. _Why was I thinking about her often? I haven't seen her since I was living in Mexico. _He thought. She and him had been very close, but after his grandfather's death, they grew more and more distant. She hadn't even said goodbye when Chad had moved to Japan. He thought he was over her, but she kept popping into his head at random times, especially nowadays.

Shaking his head, all thoughts of her were completely gone from his mind as a hollow came into view. Hollows were showing up frequently in Karakura now, and being that there were no reinforcements from Soul Society, it was up to him and Uryu to keep the hollow population in check.

Putting down his bag, he materialized Brazo Derecha de Gigante. Despite this being his defensive arm, he preferred using it, as it was his grandfather's teachings that influenced the power in this arm. He felt closer to his grandfather this way, and thought this was a way of representing that he used his fist to protect, and not to attack.

With that thought in mind, he gave a strong uppercut to the monster that stood in front of him. The monster's head cracked, blood splattering from where the chin met the throat, but the hollow managed to get his head right again. Roaring, it swiped Chad to the side, crashing him into a nearby building.

Chad laid there, his back aching in so many ways. He materialized Brazo Izquierda del Diablo, and aiming for the hollows stomach, delivered a great blow straight at his target. The hollow only stumbled a little back. He then did the same to Chad, except Chad flew. He crashed through another building, with much greater impact. Thankfully, he fell through the building, so the hollow could not see him. This gave him time to recuperate.

But why did he need recuperation? Shouldn't a hollow of this level be easy to defeat?

After the Winter War, Chad expected that he would grow stronger. The whole fight had to count for something. Hollows like these were supposed to be nothing compared to what he faced in Hueco Mundo. Yet, here he couldn't defeat even the lowest of the low. What was up with that?

The hollow roared, his head turning as he tried to find Chad. Chad decided to take this time to formulate a plan, except nothing came to him. All he could think about was the painful reason he came up with as too why his powers were faltering.

Was his power really the same as the monsters he swore to kill?

His powers screamed in delight upon his entering Hueco Mundo. He felt right at home there, and that was where his arms gained their full potential. However, when he returned to Karakura town, he sensed they went right back to normal, completely lost. Which meant Hueco Mundo was a source for his power. Did this make him the same as a hollow?

The hollow located Chad and roaring, slammed a fist into him. Chad narrowly missed it, as another came straight at him. This time he wasn't so lucky. It pinned his defensive arm down, and the other arm was aiming for the rest of the body. However, this gave Chad a slight sense of relief.

It wasn't just him; it was the hollow as well. Chad and Uryu had realized the hollows were more like Arrancars now. Mere hollows could beat both at the same time, and they definitely weren't getting weaker. Therefore, his lack of strength could be due to the increase in the hollows.

But that didn't matter right now. He was going to die right here by a pathetic hollow.

Suddenly, the hollow let out a roaring scream of pain. Multiple gashes formed on its body, as if many swords cut him simultaneously. The hollow turned, looking for the assailant, but failed to find the source, as another wave of the attack hit him. Screaming in pain, the hollow fell back and dissolved in the air.

Chad stared in shock. The only sounds were his deep pants. Where had the attack come from? And why had it come right at the moment that he was about to die?

"Yo, Tiger." A silky voice filled the air, and immediately Chad looked at the direction the voice came from, his eyes widening. It was very familiar.

The outline of a person stood on top of a building. The moonlight showed the person's figure, and by that Chad reasoned it was a female. Something in her right hand flashed, blinding Chad momentarily. When he found his eyesight again, the woman had jumped off the building onto the sidewalk.

"Man, I had hoped you would be stronger than this." the same voice groaned, disappointment obvious in her tone. Then she gave a cold smile, and Chad felt shivers down his spine.

"Who-Who are you?" he stammered. Her smile grew wider.

"Certainly you haven't forgot about me Tora-kun," she retorted, and she stepped out of the shadow a little more. Her hair swished behind her like a horse's mane, thick but smooth. It was in a ponytail. She was thin and tall, probably as tall as Chad. She wore a skintight body suit, her hands in her pocket. On her left wrist swung a sheathed sword, with a loop to keep it in place.

"But then, it has been a while," She drawled, taking another step forward. "I suppose bad memories would try and stay hidden after a period of time." She took a final step, placing her directly into the streetlight.

He saw a sinister smile, which sent more shivers in his body. Her face was well toned, as if she had spent a while in the sun. There was a hat on her head that covered her eyes. She took it off, and Chad gasped.

Those dark, alluring eyes. He knew those eyes, back when they were bright and happy. Now, they were different.

They spelled death and darkness.

"You." He gasped. She smiled and, sheathing her sword, swung it forward.

…

Her eyes.

The first thing Rukia noticed about her opponent was her eyes. One was soft lavender; the other stormy blue.

Granted, that was perhaps the only thing she could notice; the woman covered her entire face except for the eyes. She was dressed scantily though, almost as if to show as much skin as possible without wearing a bikini suit. She had a pretty figure, except she was as short like Rukia. It was weird, completely covering her face but then showing off all your body.

She stood there with her hands behind her back. She hadn't said a word since the two enemies jumped off the building. The small longhaired one had flown at Orihime and Uryu, grabbed them, and disappeared down a street. This one had just stood there, but blocked Rukia every time she tried to run after her friends. Finally, Rukia accepted the fact that she was to fight this mysterious bandit, except…

The girl hadn't attempted to attack.

Weird.

Did she even have a sword?

Rukia had Sode no Shirayuki out, was tensed for battle, and definitely ready to block and counterattack anything sent at her. But, how was she suppose to do that if she didn't freakin' attack?

Rukia looked around in the air. Was this a trap? Was someone going to come out of nowhere and hit her? She saw no one.

Sighing, she turned her eyes back at the girl, and they popped out of the sockets. The girl… was sitting down and drinking tea? What was up with that? Where did she get the tea? And how was she supposed to drink it when she never took her mask off? Rukia groaned at the weird sight in front of her.

Then the girl held out another cup to her, indicating her to join her.

Wanted her to join in drinking tea.

In… the middle of the street.

Man, she came down her to talk to Ichigo, but she ends up meeting someone like this. The human world never ceased to amaze her.

…

0_0. Oh snap, the action is starting now! (Okay, maybe that last part not, but I thought it was funny.)

I do hope you enjoy this. I made it extra long to compensate the before chapters. Actually, this was finished before chapter 3, so all it needed was editing and another part. Chapter 6 is done, which sucks because now I have to write chapter 5. -_- Great, I'm jumping all over.

So this is contradicting the real manga, but I want to finish this before the real ones gets too deep. I have around 13 chapters planned, so… Speaking of the real manga, what the hell is going on? *No more for spoiler purposes* Did anyone notice Ichigo's boss? Her shirt? Unagi means eel in Japanese. :D

So I'm sure everyone is confused at names. ALL THE NEW CHARACTERS ARE CALLED BY NICKNAMES. Just to clarify. Gekisen-sama and Chiru-chan are the same person. So are Neesan and Sani-san. (Oh yeah, see any similarities between SaNI-SAN and NEESAN? I thought the coincidence was really cool.) I will explain the names of them when I reveal their full names.

So, explaining the uses of the honorifics. Dono means Lord, -Sama is the honorific for great respect, -San is for everyone, -Chan is like a little girls term, and -Kun is for boys. HOWEVER, Aoi-kun is not a boy, it is just saying that she is sort of like one. You know, a tomboy? That is the reason they call her that. Neesan is a way of saying older sister, but Kana and Sani-san aren't related, just Kana looks up to her as a sort of older sister. Well, hope you understood my impromptu Japanese lesson. I wanted people to understand the terms used.

So yeah, leave a review if you liked, disliked, hated, or really don't care about this chapter. Thanks. Would really like that. And sorry for the cliché title. I was lazy.

Well, then see you another time!

~~~EeLgIrL (^.^)


	5. Bittersweet Memory: Battle Phase Begins!

Breakdown of the Sphere

_I do not own Bleach._

Chapter 5: Bittersweet Memory: Battle Phase Begins!

…

Maru-dono sat in front of four monitors. The girls had positioned themselves correctly; he could now watch all four battles at the same time.

He could see how they branched off, Chiru-chan and Ichigo, Aoi-kun and Chad, Sani-san and Rukia and Kana against both Orihime and Uryu. That would seem like a bad choice, sending the youngest against the most enemies, but Maru-dono had no doubt in her abilities.

In fact, he had no doubt in any of their abilities. They had powers beyond anything the world has seen, both the human and Soul Society worlds. Their abilities exceeded Aizen's by so much, that Maru-dono pitied the ones that would fight them. He was almost sure of absolute defeat, but still…

He looked at all the monitors. This would be rather interesting to watch, seeing if any could make a stand against the girls. He doubted it, but who knows?

He was used to surprises.

…

"Are you ready Ichigo?" Gekisen stared at the boy on his knees. Ichigo didn't answer. He was too afraid too.

_What, What's going on? _

He closed his eyes, willing this to all be a bad dream. But no, it wasn't. It was a living nightmare.

_I will become King!_ The maniacal laughter rang through his ears. His hollow was taunting him, just like before.

What had that girl done? How come the life he gladly left behind was back?

"Ichigo Kurosaki, get up!" Gekisen kicked at his stomach. Immediately Ichigo stood, but doubled over, clutching his stomach. Gekisen growled.

"What are you waiting for? You have your power, you're in your bankai, attack me!" She roared, holding her sword up to his neck. Ichigo looked at her with fearful eyes.

If he fought, his hollow would take over. However, if he continued to resist, he would certainly be killed.

"Ge-Getsuga Tensho!" Ichigo tried to shout, but it came out no more then a whisper. Nevertheless, a weak wave erupted from his sword.

_There, _Ichigo thought._ That's just enough to take her down, without releasing too much power. _

The green haired lady smirked, and held out her arm. Instantly, the Getsuga Tensho was repealed. Ichigo just barely moved out of the way from its path.

"Is that all?" Gekisen tauntingly asked. "I thought you were stronger than this."

Ichigo looked up, stunned. She wore jean shorts that just passed her thighs, and on the rest of her legs she wore dark brown cowboy boots. For her top, she had a dark green tank top, with black skin-tight gloves that covered the rest of her arms. And she had just blocked his Getsuga Tensho with those gloves.

Damn, he shouldn't have underestimated her. She had brought back his inner world. There was no doubt she was more powerful then he originally though.

What was wrong with him? Why wasn't he thinking straight?

What was happening?

"Tsk-Tsk," she shook her head. "This is gonna be boring won't it now?" Smiling, she pointed her sword at him.

"Kill…"

…

"Aoi-sama." Chad mumbled as he got to his feet. Instead of killing Chad, she had unleashed some electric current, which had healed him. However, as soon as he got up, she tried to attack him… for real.

"Why didn't you just kill me before if you insist on fighting?" The girl groaned.

"First off, don't use sama," she demanded, pointing her finger at Chad warningly. "That's improper anyway. Second, call me Aoi-kun, cause that's my name."

"Aoitsu-san." Chad sighed, standing up to the girl named Aoitsu, and making her take a step back. "You didn't answer my question." She smiled at this.

"Long time since someone called me by my full last name," she chuckled, looking at Chad. He didn't change face.

"We need to fight," Aoitsu admonished, staring grimly at Chad. "I want to finish what we started. It's been what, three years? Four?"

"Five years," Chad answered. "Five years since I left Mexico." Aoitsu looked away at this.

"Five years huh?"

Five years ago. He tried to block out that memory, but as he stared at the girl in front of him, it all came surfacing up…

"_Come on! Beat him up you guys!"_

_Yasutora Sado heard the call of the leader. It was hard to just stand there and not fight back, but he made a promise to his grandfather. The rest of the guys punch and kicked at him. _

"_Heh, punk won't fight back huh?" The leader got up into Sado's face. "Fine then, beat him 'till he's dead!" The rest of the kids roared in excitement at this. Finally, they could punish their tormenter, the one who had once done much evil to them. Sado didn't blame them. He deserved it._

"_Oh no you idiots won't," The voice came out of nowhere. A girl around the age of 12 came up the alley. She smiled eagerly. "Cause I'll beat you guys up first!" She held her fist up, beckoning any of the boys to fight her. None did. This was the Demonio de la Princesa, the Demon Princess from Japan. They all ran the opposite way, none wanting to fight her._

_She ran to Sado. "Yo man, are you alright?" She made quick work of the ropes binding him, and they loosened and fell to the floor. _

"_Why didn't you let them beat me?" he mumbled, looking down at the girl who was untying the leg ropes. "You know who I am, right?" She looked up, and stood to her full height, which towered Sado by at least two feet._

"_That's how you thank me?" she put her hands on her hips. "Why should I let some street punks hit on a guy that won't fight back? I'm Kannichi Aoitsu by the way," she stuck out her hand, "Also known as the Demon Princess, because…"_

"_You beat up the La Muerte Tribu on your first day in Mexico." Sado cut in. He stared at her hand. Kannichi looked at him, and took his left hand and shook it. _

"_And you must be Yasutora Sado, right?" she asked. "Pleasure to meet you!" Her whole face smiled at him, from her eyes to her mouth. Sado never met another person as radiant as her._

_From there, a friendship started. The Demon Princess and her Gentle Giant. They played together, talked together, and Kannichi was often invited over for dinner. They were closer then close. _

…

"_Amore e Morte. Love and death." Kannichi and Sado were sitting in his back porch, looking up at the clouds that floated by. Sado turned to her._

"_What do you mean?" he asked confused. Kannichi smiled and pulled her right sleeve up. There was a __tattoo on the shoulder; which reads __Amore e Morte__ and consists of a heart with a snake and angel wings around it._

"_Italian for love and death. I like to think of it as meaning I love someone so much I would die for them." Kannichi grinned at Sado. "Reminds me of people back home, and how much I love and miss them." Sado stared at her. She never mentioned her hometown before, and Sado never dared to ask. _

"_Do you have someone you would die for?" Kannichi questioned Sado. He smiled._

"_Grandfather, Belleza-senorita, you…" Sado trailed off. Kannichi looked stunned for a second, but grinned at him._

"_And that coin of yours." she added on, and Sado took his precious coin out of his pocket. It glinted in that sunshine. _

…

"_Why won't you fight back?" Kannichi looked at Sado on the floor, frowning._

"_I promised Abuelo. " he responded. She took his arm and helped him up. _

"_But they beat you up hard!" She looked angry. "You should at least defend yourself!" Sado stayed silent to this. Kannichi sighed. _

"_Why don't you fight for me then?" Sado looked at her as she took his left hand._

"_This," She pointed to it, "Is your fighting hand. It is the hand you will use to attack." She picked up his other hand. "This is your defense hand. You will use it to protect." Sado looked confused. _

" _Your abuelo taught you to protect," Kannichi went on. "So that is why what dwells in your right arm will be defensive power. I tell you to attack," she shook his left hand, "and you will use this hand, which is what started our friendship, to honor that. Do you promise?"_

_In answer to that, Chad shook her hand hard. She smiled._

…

"_Kannichi, I want you to be my girlfriend," Sado announced. Kannichi and Sado were walking home from school. Kannichi tripped when she heard this._

"_W-What?" she sputtered. Sado smiled at her. _

"_I love you Kannichi. We are at the age where we can start dating." He stated simply, smiling at Kannichi, but his face dropped when he saw her frowning._

"_That won't work," she mumbled, turning away. "It's… It's not possible." She gave Sado a pained look. "Don't call me Kannichi." She turned and walked away._

_And never turned around again._

_That was, the beginning of the end. Their friendship was broken. _

_No matter how much Sado pleaded with her, begged her to come over, reassured that he was kidding… nothing worked. She wouldn't talk to him. She quit school and holed herself in her house. He never saw her after that._

_Except…_

_Sometimes, Sado would take a nighttime walk. Once in a while, he would see a woman dressed in a black kimono fighting a monster. And always, when he saw the "Misterioso Noches Sombra" it always reminded him of her._

_And that was most bittersweet of all._

…

"_I'm sorry for your loss." She sat in the corner of the dark room. Sado, dressed all in black, looked at her grimly._

"_You didn't come," he mumbled, looking down at the darken floor. He never stepped foot before in Kannichi's house, but now understood why she spent so much time outside of it. _

"_I couldn't," she sighed, turning to face him. She was pale, and had sunken eyes._

"_I sorry," he started, taking a step toward her. "For asking you that question. I wish to be your friend again." Kannichi stood suddenly to this._

"_Fight me."_

_Sado took a step back. This was so sudden. What did it have to do with anything?_

"_Huh?"_

"_Fight me dammit!" Kannichi roared at Sado. He took another step away, stunned at this sudden personality change. "You never fought me before!"_

"_A-Aoit-tsu," Sado stuttered. Kannichi looked at him, rage filling her eyes. She swung a punch._

"_What's going on!" Sado blocked the punch. She threw another one. _

_Sado saw something else in her eyes. Craziness._

_What had happened to her?_

"_I need to fight you," she growled. "To prove to myself-" She swung a punch straight at Sado's face, but stopped an inch away from it. In return, Sado pushed the fist back._

_She looked at her hands with wide eyes. "Wha-Why?" Kannichi sputtered. Her eyes rose sharply to Sado's face. Screaming in rage, she punched and kicked at Sado. He stopped her, confused and shocked... _

_But most of all, hurt at her actions._

_Realizing this was getting nowhere; he threw a punch at her stomach. However, Kannichi launched herself in the air, landing behind Sado. She swung her leg around, only to have Sado block it._

"_Kannichi! Stop it!" he yelled, holding her leg. She pushed it forward and it hit Sado square in the chest. He fell, and Kannichi stood over him, her foot on his chest._

"_Don't call me Kannichi." She hissed. Lifting him by his shirt collar, she pushed him to the wall. However, Sado wrenched her grasped from his shirt and stumbled back, coughing. In return, Kannichi threw another punch, only to be stopped by Sado's hand. Kannichi looked at the left hand, which currently held her fist. Her eyes widened. _

"_Your… fighting… hand…" she whispered. And in that moment, Sado felt that she was back to normal. She no longer had that crazed look, or that rage in her. _

_But that only lasted for a moment. _

_She thrust her fist forward, bending Sado's arm back. Sado winced from the pain. He moved to the side, which allowed Kannichi to kick him again. He doubled over, panting for air._

"_Chad!" A voice sounded from the door. "It's time to go!" Chad looked up to Kannichi, finally regaining his breath. "Look, what's wro-" she cut him off with a punch to the face. When he could finally see again, she was climbing out a window. _

"_I will be back," she seethed. "To finish our fight." With that she jumped out, leaving a heartbroken and confused Chad looking at where she once was, wondering, what had happened to her._

…

"Stomp all to the death, Umazoku." Kannichi yelled, holding her sword point down at her side. It flashed, and the blade turned into a horse's foot, with a hilt at top.

She held it out, hoof pointing down on the ground. She stomped it to the ground. Immediately the thousands of blades that Chad saw hit the hollow hit him. He flew back, blood flying all over.

"When I hit the hoof against a flat surface," Kannichi spun the horse foot sword in her hand, smirking at Chad, "A thousand horses stomp toward the direction the tip of the hoof is pointing, spreading into a triangle to cover more space. It is highly un-effective in large battles with both sides on the same field, but here," she sadistically smiled, "It's perfect."

"Is that how you killed the hollow?" Chad was in so much pain; he could barely open his mouth. However, he needed her distracted while he formulated a plan.

"Nope," she shook her head. "But hopefully, we won't get to the point where I have to show you how I did that."

That was all Chad needed to hear. He ran at Kannichi, his arm rose to punch. She sighed.

"You don't learn do you?" She sighed and unleashed another attack. At the last minute though, Chad launched himself off the ground. It was hard to do, as he very hurt, but it worked. The attack only hit the soles of his feet. He jumped to the side.

"I do learn." He gritted his teeth. Blood was pouring out. However, he stood, heaving heavily, but still able to battle.

Kannichi stared at him with wide eyes. _He got stronger, _she thought._ Why didn't I?_

While Chad had obviously grown both physically and emotionally, she was the same. Unable to prove herself to Gekisen, show that she was strong enough to be third seat. She was unable to get over her friends death, crying everyday even after 200 years.

And most of all, she was unable to stop caring for… him.

_A shinigami must be without feelings. _

_Crying over the weak makes you weak!_

"_Gekisen-sama, why won't you fight me? Isn't it traditional for a student to face his teacher in the end, to prove his skill?"_

"_Aoitsu, you're not strong enough to face me."_

Kannichi groaned and turned her head away, willing the bad memories to go away. When her friend died, they called her weak. When she asked Gekisen for a challenge, she turned her away, saying she wan't strong enough.

When she said she was in love, they laughed at her weakness and how she let feelings get to her. They told her love was a silly thing, something strong Shinigami never allowed themselves to have.

Immediately, she felt her power falter. Memories like these weakened the power of her part. But her inner self was fighting it. It wanted this power. It _needed_ this power.

_If I want to beat Sado, _she thought,_ then I must not let feelings get me. I must be like a shingami, void of all feeling._

She felt her faltering power stop and start charging again. The darkness that drove her was back.

_He didn't get stronger. I got stronger. _She smirked. With that thought in mind, she stepped toward him.

It was time to unleash her grand attack. The one she spent forever working to obtain, and the one that, without a doubt, would be the end of this battle.

"Jump to the sky, land in gracefulness; kill those you step upon, Umabotsunami," She shouted, and her body began to glow.

It was over.

…

She just sat there.

Orihime had all her Shun Shun Rikka out. Uryu's bow was manifested.

She still sat there.

Orihime and Uryu sweat dropped.

"Uh…"

"Butterfly," the girl joyously cried out, pointing to a black butterfly. She reached out…

And crushed it.

"…"

…

Yeay! I love funny endings! Okay, maybe this isn't so happy.

Anyway…

OH MY GOSH! I'm SOOOOOOOO SORRY HOW LATE I AM! I've had a lot this week, as my uncle came to visit, and with Thanksgiving, but hey, I'm alive! And what's better, the next three chapters are ready. Just need editing and they will be out for the next three days. Or at least for the next week. Or the next month. -_-

Anyway, this was mostly on Kannichi Aoitsu and Yasutora Sado. I love the backstory I made for them. I know, this was a bit choppy but only cause I was rushing to put it out. And the whole part on Kannichi's thoughts, it's gonna be a bit important. Also, the last part had a VERY important foreshadowing. Just saying.

As for canon Bleach, totally getting interesting. The Hell Arc special was big foreshadowing too, cause it means the Espadas are gonna show again! Can't wait!

So then, leave a review cause that's a nice thing to do. And cause I get motive to update with reviews.

Also, check out my deviantart page! I will be drawing fanart as soon as I get time too, but for now I have other stuff up so check it out!

Well, then, till next time!

~~~EeLgIrL (^.^)


	6. It's Raining Blood Everywhere

Breakdown of the Sphere

_I do not own Bleach._

Chapter 6: It's Raining Blood Everywhere

…

Blood splattered in the air. Chad looked up to the sky, stunned.

_How did it end up like this?_

He was on his back, looking up as his own blood fell around him. A blood rain. Against the dark blue sky, twinkling with stars, his blood fell. It was very beautiful.

Ironic.

"You cannot defeat me in my final form you know?" A woman's voice rang in the air. Kannichi Aoitsu stood over him. She was dressed in a skintight brown fur suit with a V-neck. Her hair was in pigtails now, silk and shining against the dark sky. She had a tail behind her, which she flicked to the side every now and then. Her feet became hooves, and she had black leather gloves on.

"This is how I killed the hollow," she remarked, looking down at Chad lying on the floor. "It is the equivalent to a Bankai. Instead of the attack coming out of my sword, I can send it out of my hands. It is double the strength, and much more efficient then before."

"Sorry Tora-kun, but I will have to kill you." She smirked and held her hands up. Chad, despite his injuries, rolled out of the way as she released another attack.

"Hmm, you weren't this quick before," Kannichi turned and watched as he got up and tried to run. "But I did tell me you could not defeat me right?" She jumped and soared in the air above Chad. She held her hands out into a diamond shape.

"Stomp," she whispered through the diamond. Invisible to all but her, thousands of blades flew from her hands, aiming straight for her target.

Chad.

The large man felt it. Square in his back, the excruciating pain of a thousand swords pierced him. More blood flew into the air. He fell down to his knees.

"Give up tiger," her voice surrounded him. "How many times must I repeat it? You. can't. defeat. _me_."

"Isn't that improper speech?" Chad choked out, smiling a little despite the pain. "Don't you hate it when someone uses wrong grammar?" He could feel Kannichi burning with anger from his joking remark.

"Stomp!" This time she yelled it, and more blades flew out. However, Chad turned at the last minute and blocked them. From Brazo Derecha de Gigante more blood came out, but he was able to withstand it, as he slowly stood up, getting closer to Kannichi.

_Wh-What? That attack should have hit him! Should have chopped his arm up! _Kannichi was confused. An attack of that caliber should have pierced right through his arm, and perhaps even his body, but he was able to stand it. Angrily, she swung her arm back, preparing to punch, but he beat her to it. Swing his Brazo Izquierda del Diablo arm forward, he missed her by an inch, instead snapping her necklace straight off her neck. It flew somewhere to her left, and she lost track of it. She flew backwards but landed gracefully on another building.

_Damn, how did he get so strong?_ She thought, looking at him from her place. He was kneeling on the floor. She could tell he was really hurt.

_One more hit should do it._ She smiled and charged again. Jumping off, she held her hands in position.

"Sto-"

She fell to the ground and landed next to him. What was she doing? She could attack him! He was vulnerable and weak! Why did her body not allow her?

_But you can't_, a small voice inside her murmured. _Because you-_

She reverted back to her first form, and held her sword at his head. He couldn't block it; he was too tired, too weak and almost dead. Accepting his fate, he closed his eyes.

_Because you-_

She felt her power falter once again. However, this time it didn't regain, no matter how much she pushed her feelings away. They all came rushing back.

_Because you-_

Seeing that Kannichi had momentarily stalled, Chad decided to take advantage of this. Using the last bit of strength he had, Chad swung weakly at Kannichi. She made no attempt to block it. Her sword had dropped to the side. Kannichi flew back and hit the wall behind her. At the same time, Chad dropped to the floor, unconscious.

She couldn't attack him because she…

_Loved him._

Somewhere in the distance, her necklace flashed.

…

The girl looked up. "She's done for?" she wondered out loud. Uryu and Orihime also looked up, and felt Chad's faltering reiatsu. Their eyes widened.

"Inoue! Go to Chad, he's dying! Help him!" Uryu demanded. Orihime nodded and ran off in the direction of Chad, only to be pushed back by a sudden force. She landed next to Uryu, coughing.

"I can't let you do that," the singsong voice had spoken up. The girl had stood. One of her long locks had extended, and pushed Orihime back. It shrunk back to her.

"I didn't wanna fight," she complained, pouting. "Aoi-kun said she would come and finish you guys off." She stared at them through her long hair.

"Ah well. Can't be helped if Aoi-kun can't even defeat a small fly like that guy." She swung around. Immediately, her long locks of hair flung out and hit both Uryu and Orihime, sending them flying in the air. Airbourne, Uryu readied an arrow and aimed straight at her. At the same time, Orihime sent Tsubaki flying at the girl.

She threw out her sleeves and blocked both attacks without turning around. Tsubaki flew back to Orihime, where Ayame and Shuno had to heal him. Uryu nearly missed his own arrow as it rebounded toward him.

"Hehe," she giggled. She turned, and revealed one amber eye, wild with excitement. "You can~not beat meeee~" Uryu who had landed on the ground, looked up.

"Who are you?" He questioned, staring intently at her. "What do you want?" The girl smiled and flew over to him.

"I," she stood to her full height, pointing to herself proudly, "Am Kana Tamasa, the heir to the Tamasa Noble House." She smiled down at him. "And I wanna defeat you~." She ended that with a jump in the air, her left sleeve pointing down at Uryu.

"Extend, Nagahekitana!" she chirped. A blade shot out of her sleeve. Orihime just barely managed to put up a shield in time. The blade retracted back into the sleeve as Kana landed.

"Heh, a shield I see!" Kana grinned at Orihime. But can you block this?" Another blade came out, Orihime put up a stronger shield, but the sword turned at the end of the shield and hit her in the back. Orihime doubled over, coughing out blood.

"Nagahekitana hits where I want it to hit!" she lilted, jumping over to Orihime. She lifted her sleeve, where a black wristband was. There were tiny spikes all over.

"My bracelet extends the spikes, which grab hold of my sword," She held up a tiny blade, no bigger then a kitchen knife, "and can swing it around." Kana giggled again as the spikes extended and grabbed the hilt. She flicked her wrist, making it turn and shoot straight at Uryu. It stabbed right through his arm, only to retract. Blood flew out and hit the ground. He shot an shaky arrow with one hand, but she wrapped her long hair around it and crushed it.

"Tsubaki!" Orihime yelled. Immediately, said flower pixie rushed out of her hairpins and aimed straight for the girl's hair. Tsubaki was going to eliminated a part of the threat this girl brought. However, at the last second, she flew back, and extended a hair lock, which crashed Tsubaki to the side. He fell there, crushed. Orihime ran to him, as Ayame and Shuno tried to heal him.

"No~No~" Kana tweeted. She extended another hair lock straight at Orihime. Orihime didn't see it as she was bent over Tsubaki.

However, the hairlock was cut. Uryu shot an arrow precisely through her hair. Kana's grin turned into a frown.

"You cut my hair."

Uryu sweat dropped at this. Of all things, she was worried about her… hair?

…

"Chad!" Rukia looked into the air, her eyes widening. He couldn't have-!

The woman opposing her also stopped. _She was defeated,_ she thought. _Aoitsu was defeated. _Slowly, she put her teacup down and stood. Rukia was too busy searching for any remnants of Chad's reiatsu to go to help; she never noticed the sword posed to hit her. At the last second, she realized the woman was behind her and just barely stopped it.

The woman flew back and landed on a building. She pointed her sword to the sky and swung. Text appeared in the air.

"Fl-it, Ha-chido-ri." Rukia read. Flit, Hachidori. It sounded like a Zanpakuto. Eyes widening, she looked up to see the woman flying at her. Her right hand pointed for Rukia's heart.

On her right hand was a black and green gauntlet that had a small chain linking it to a pointed blade on her middle finger. _It was very similar to Captain Sui-Feng's, Rukia _thought_, whereas the gold is replaced with green._

Snapping out of her reverie, she blocked the blade. _If it's like Captain Sui-Feng in looks, then it must have a similar attack,_ Rukia deducted. She brought her blade up, ready to block again, but gasped when she realized the girl wasn't there.

The girl had shunpoed to her back. Rukia couldn't turn and block it in time.

Immediately, she heard a hum near her ear and a sting on her upper back. The woman's masked face appeared over Rukia's shoulder as she stabbed. She raised her left hand, and letters appeared in front of them.

**One Hit Death.**

Blood splattered out. It hit the ground in rain-like drops.

Rukia looked down and her eyes widened. The blade had pierced right through her.

…

"Captain-Commander!"

Captain-Commander Yamamoto paid the calls no heed. What was on his mind was big, and he didn't need distractions.

He slammed open Urahara Kisuke's holding cell. Inside, he saw the man tending to the wounds of his subordinates.

The Captain felt a little pang in his heart. Even after a year, the girl had not fully recovered. She was emotionally and physically scarred, possibly for life.

Yamamoto pushed those thoughts aside. What was done was done, and he must focus on the present problem.

"Urahara Kisuke!" He exploded, his rage filling the chamber. He had allowed all the prisoners to share one cell, so that they would not die of loneliness. The Visoreds, Tessai and Jinta looked up, but Urahara continued with his cleaning of Ururu's scar.

"Urahara LOOK at me!" Yamamoto gritted his teeth. He had not seen them for over a year, but he expected at least a little respect. The man turned.

His face had changed. It no longer had the happy glow about it, or the smirk that showed he was hiding something. Now, everything he thought was clear on his face.

"What do you want?" he wearied, standing up to face the Captain-Commander. Yamamoto was shocked at this personality change. Ururu was not the only one emotionally scarred.

"You told us they were in Hueco Mundo!" he shouted, opening his eyes to stare intently at the man. "But they aren't! They reside in Karakura Town!" Urahara's eyes widened slightly at this, but he managed a weak smile.

"And what am I suppose to do about this?" he chuckled. The rest of the occupants looked up, interested at this exchange. Yamamoto felt his anger boil.

"I don't know!" He growled. Urahara smiled wider. Ururu looked up with fearful eyes, but she began to grin. Everyone was chuckling. Yamamoto failed to find what was funny.

"Old man Yama," Urahara used the well-known nickname that pisses Yamamoto off. "Maybe you should retire. The stress is getting to you. It's gonna drive you crazy." He said it in a soothing way, but Yamamoto knew he was mocking him.

This was getting nowhere. Yamamoto growled and turned. He wasn't even sure why he informed the prisoners about this. He supposed he wanted to show that Urahara didn't know everything. But Urahara found it funny.

Suddenly, Urahara spoke up again. "Did you send someone to take care of them? I mean, apparently the shinigami think they can handle it so…" Urahara shrugged. Yamamoto turned and gave a slight smirk. Finally, he could show off to him.

"Only the best."

…

She blocked attack after attack. No matter how much Ichigo tried, the girl named Gekisen was able to block it.

"Oh come on, you've got to be stronger then this!" she complained. "You were able to stop me before, why not now?"

When she uttered the release of her zanpakuto, Ichigo knew it was trouble. He had felt a surge of energy and stopped her from doing so.

He couldn't do it again though. It was dangerous enough. His hollow had used that to try and take over him, but Ichigo would never let him again.

When he regained his powers, his hollow was no longer under control. It rampaged freely in his inner world. And Ichigo no longer wanted to control it. He was afraid.

He wasn't trying hard enough. He was afraid to release his full power, afraid his hollow would find excitement in that, and use it take the crown.

She flew over next to him and swung the sword at his head. He sidestepped, and it hit only his shoulder. Blood droplets fell to the floor and a puddle formed.

He released a weak Getsuga Tensho, in attempt to run away. Gekisen sighed.

She grabbed the Getsuga Tensho wave with her hand. It flickered and started to disappear. However, she released a bright green energy wave from her hand into the attack. Ichigo's eyes widened as the attack grew bigger, swirling with green and black colors. Pulling her hand back she pushed the enlarged Getsuga Tensho wave at Ichigo.

He couldn't block it. He wouldn't be able too. He heard his hollow scream _You idiot!_ but he didn't care. This was too much. Closing his eyes, he accepted his fate.

"Damn it Ichigo, you better not be this wimpy when we fight."

He knew that voice. Opening his eyes wide, he gasped at the man in front of him.

That sadistic grin, he knew that grin all too well.

A pink head popped up over his shoulder.

"Hey there Icchi!" she chirped.

…

If you don't know whom those two who came to the rescue are, stop reading and catch up on Bleach.

Seriously though, this is a repeat of the time in Hueco Mundo against Nnoitra.

I actually was planning to end it at the "Damn it Ichigo…" quote, but had to add in Yachiru's quote. (Yes, its Yachiru and Kenpachi)

So anyway, yeah, hope you enjoyed this. Please leave a review if you did, and even if you didn't. I mean it really.

Last chapter, I didn't explain my OC's. Here, I will explain the ones that have been fully revealed.

Kannichi Aoitsu- カンン一 アオイツ KANNIngu means cunning, and ICHI means one, so it means cunning one. AOI means blue and TSU means (sortof) day, so it's BlueDay. Don't ask me, my mom helped me with this stuff. Her fight with Chad is over by the way. I can't keep up with too many battles at the same time.

Kana Tamasa- かな たまさ Well, its basically characters of the Japanese Alphabet, Ka Na Ta Ma Sa. Each is a separate character from the alphabet. The actual name has a sort of meaning, but here I put it simplistically to represent that Kana is a young girl. Yeah.

UmaZoku (ウマゾク) means Horse Race. UmaBotsuNami (ウマボツナミ) means Horse Death Stampede. NagaHekiTana ナガヘキタナ means Long Piercing Sword. Hachidori (ハチドリ) means Hummingbird. And yes, Sani-san (Rukia's opponent) uses Solid script to talk. (Solid Script is when words appear in the air, used by Levy McGarden in Fairy Tail.)

So I hope you understood my impromptu Japanese lesson. Actually, most of it was explained to mom, who only did a year of Japanese school, so I can be wrong. If you find something incorrect, don't hesitate to point it out. And if you need clarification on something, PM me and I will try my best to explain.

Oh yeah, I have fanart for this story. Please look on my Deviantart Page, found in my profile page. Links are;

http: / eelgirl13. deviantart. com/ art/ OC-Kana-Tamasa- 187656729? q=sort%3 Atime+gallery %3Aeelgirl13&qo=1 (No spaces)

http: / eelgirl13. deviantart. com/ art/ OC-Kannichi-Aoitsu- 187658116? q=sort%3 Atime+gallery %3Aeelgirl13&qo=0 (No Spaces)

Well see you next time then!

~~~EeLgIrL (^.^)


	7. My Name is Yachiru, Pleased to Meet You

Breakdown of the Sphere

_I do not own Bleach._

Chapter 7: My Name is Yachiru, Pleased to Meet You

…

The red glow covered Rukia's body. The stab wound was healing. Despite it being the so-called "one hit death", she survived, but now lay there, unconscious.

"Your sword administers a poison in the body upon contact, is that correct?" Byakuya stood and faced his sister's opponent. Her eyes betrayed no emotion.

"You came just in time." She spoke up for the first time. Byakuya's eyes widened.

The voice was very familiar. Where had he heard it before?

"If it had been a second later," she continued. "There would have been enough venom in her body to kill her." She took a step closer to Byakuya and pointed her sword to his head.

"This is the power of Hachidori," she murmured. Her eyes narrowed. "How did you figure it out though? It is very secretive."

Captain Sui-Feng of the Soul Society has a similar sword." Byakuya gave a small smile. The girl's heart quickened.

_It's been a while since I've seen that smile, _she thought_. It's the same, small, but comforting. Dignified, yet caring at the same time._

Her stormy blue eye began to hurt. It always did when she thought about him.

_But he smiles for Sui-Feng, _her inner voice chuckled._ Perhaps he does not love you anymore, and has found desire for Captain Sui-Feng?_

The girl smirked behind her mask. Despite the impossibility of that happening, her eye had ceased to hurt. Her inner voice liked to do that. She kicked off and sped right up to Byakuya. His eyes widened as she pointed Hachidori to his face.

"One Hit Death." She murmured, as she pushed her hand into his skin. However, at the last second, Byakuya shunpoed away, leaving the girl to fall to the ground. She stood and located him behind her, his sword out in front of him.

"Who are you?" he questioned, staring intently into her eyes. She felt a blush coming to her cheeks. "I have never seen a shunpo that fast except for those of the past and present Onmitsukido."

Her cheeks burned red-hot. Was that a compliment? If Kana were here, she would probably say something about her having a schoolgirl crush. It was more then a schoolgirl crush though. He was much more then that to her.

At least, he used to be. Now she had no idea what he was.

She disappeared and reappeared behind Byakuya. He blocked her attack with his sword, and made a lunge for her. She skidded a couple feet back, and took off again in his direction, only for him to dodge and swing his sword at her again.

"Why don't you show me your shikai?" she questioned. She was burning red hot, but this time it wasn't over love. It was anger.

She still could not prove herself to him? Was she not good enough for him to use even a little of his power to fight?

"I do not show my shikai to unknown enemies." He replied stoically. "Do you wish to take off that mask now?"

The girl looked at him. She wasn't planning to reveal herself to him this early, but she figured that he deserved to know. They weren't going to get anywhere in this fight at this point.

She pulled at her mask, taking it off and throwing it to the side. She shook her hair out, her traditional strand of a bang falling into place. Byakuya's eyes widened, and his hand dropped to his side. She smiled mockingly at him.

"Hello Byakuya-sama."

…

"Captain Hitsugaya!" Orihime called out at the white haired captain who stood over her. "Matsumoto-san!" The strawberry blonde widened at the state of the other female.

"Wah, Orihime!" she cried out, running over to her. She had blood covering her face, and her arm looked broken. Nevertheless, she was… smiling?

"Ayame and Shuno are healing Ishida-san," she giggled, pointing to the white-clad man lying a few feet away from her. However, you could hardly call his outfit white anymore. It was drenched in blood, making it a dark red.

If Orihime was considered critically injured, you could easily classify him as near dead.

"I told them to concentrate only on him, because she hit him hard." Orihime pointed behind the two shinigami. They turned to see the young girl standing on a rooftop.

"Who are you?" Toshiro growled, holding his sword out. She giggled.

"Imma Kana Tamasa," she grinned. "And you are…"

"I don't tell my name to my enemies," he growled. He released his sword, and swung his crescent blade at Kana. Beneath her hair, she smirked.

"Captain Hitsugaya! Watch out!" Orihime screamed at him. Toshiro's eyes widened as she blocked his blade with her sleeve, and sent it flying back at Toshiro. He swung it to avoid it hitting the four of them.

"I tell you the same thing I told that dying idiot over," she bubbled happily. "You cannot defeat me~!" she giggled and she swooped off the building, landing a few feet from Matsumoto.

Her eyes widened. She stared at Rangiku's belt.

"Tenth company?" she questioned, staring at Toshiro. She swooped behind him, and gasped at the sign on his back.

"You're a captain?" she gasped. Toshiro, feeling annoyed at this, turned.

"Yes I AM!" he roared. "Do you have a problem with that? I am not too youn…"

"I was too," she cut in. Toshiro stopped, his eyes widening. "After my captain left, I took the Captain Proficiency test. At age 10, they considered me the youngest captain ever.

I didn't like the whispers behind my back, asking if I was capable. Wondering if I really could lead tenth company."

"Who was your former captain?" Rangiku asked. Despite her being the enemy, this new information startled them. They were curious.

Kana looked at her sadly.

"You don't remember?" she replied. Rangiku's eyes widened.

"Do I know you?" she looked intently at the younger girl. Kana swung her sleeve at Rangiku, unleashing her sword. Rangiku just managed to duck. She ran over to her captain, and both stared at the girl as she opened her mouth to speak.

"You are 3rd seat Rangiku Matsumoto. You served under Lieutenant Kana Tamasa of Soul Society's Tamasa Noble House. Our captain was…"

…

"Yachiru! Move it!" Kenpachi roared. Yachiru's eyes widened at this command, but she jumped off his shoulder nevertheless. Kenpachi turned to his opponent, in shock over who it was.

It couldn't be…

She swung her sword down. He blocked it with ease. She recognized that face, despite the scars adorning it. He hadn't change that much.

The boy from Rukongai, whom she met so many years ago.

"_My name is Yachiru Gekisen." The woman dressed in a black kimono held her hand out to the small boy._

"_What's yours?" he looked at her blankly. She sighed. _

"_The kids of Zaraki, do none of them have names?" she mumbled, shaking her head. _

"_Lieutenant!" One of her companions yelled out to her. She turned. _

"_We'll be going soon!" he called out. She nodded and turned to the boy again._

"_Hey kid, I'm a shinigami," she smiled down at him. His eyes widened._

"_R-Really?" he stuttered, astonished. Shinigami's were supposed to be scary, harsh killing machines. She wasn't any of those._

"_Yeah, lieutenant of11th company." She squatted down to his level. "Look, you got good potential. Make it to the Seireitei 'kay? When you do, ask for me. I'll come out and train you personally." She grinned down at him. Then she turned and walked off with her company. _

_The boy was in wonder. This female had fought off three hollows on her own without a sword, just her bare hands. She was also kind, moving him out of the way as he was caught under a hollow._

_Yet she said he, who only managed to make a small cut on the littlest hollow, had great potential. _

_If he had great potential, then she had close to Godlike qualities. She was a pretty, strong and kind woman, who fought dignified yet manically. _

"_I wanna serve under her," he said out loud. He admired the woman who could her own in battle. Her company held nothing compared to her. _

_From then on, living by their parting words, he fought, battled, and killed in his attempt to make it to the Seireitei. When he picked up a kid in the Kusajishi, he named it after her to remind him of his goal. Finally, after cutting down the giant of the Red Hollow gate, he was in the home of his idol. _

_I wanna speak to Lieutenant." He pounded his hand on the door of 11__th__ company barracks. The lower ranks stood just out of sight, too afraid to approach this demon. _

_The door slammed open. A burly man with a thick beard stood there._

"_What do you want?" He boomed. This didn't faze the man opposing him. _

"_I want to talk to the Lieutenant of this company," he thundered. The burly man grinned. _

"_That bloody idiot?" he chuckled. "Got rid of her, she was useless." The captain turned back in to his office. _

_His vein popped. He couldn't believe this man who called himself Captain, too talk so lowly of one of the greatest Soul Reapers that Soul Society had to offer. Putting him hand on the Captains shoulder, turning him around forcefully._

_The man had no idea what exactly happened. He just knew that when he finally regained sanity, the man was on the floor dead, and his sword bloodied._

_The former Captain never had a chance against this monster._

"_Well, we are glad that you are the new captain," Yamamoto turned to the new Kenpachi. "But you didn't have to kill ever shinigami who got in your way between 11__th__ company and here." Kenpachi Zaraki shrugged._

"_So, the past lieutenants of 11__th__?" Yamamoto questioned, and Kenpachi nodded. Yamamoto opened a book and scanned the column._

"_Well, the man you killed went through twelve lieutenants." Yamamoto read off of the book. _

"_Her name was Yachiru Gekisen." Kenpachi spoke up. Yamamoto scanned the columns, then looked up confused._

"_There isn't anyone listed here by that name." He furrowed his eyebrows. "Do you have a zanpakuto name?" _

"_No." Kenpachi replied quickly. "She fought without a sword." He remembered clearly the image of her ripping that hollow in half, and chuckled slightly. Yamamoto sighed. _

"_A zanpakuto name would have made this easier," Yamamoto murmured. _

"_I don't think she had one," he affirmed. "She fought too well against the hollows for someone who needed to depend on a sword." Yamamoto looked up sharply. _

"_What?" Kenpachi looked surprised. _

"_Well…" Yamamoto trailed off. He closed the book. "Nezumi Uwaki. She's the only lieutenant to reach that position without a sword in the history of the Soul Society. She disappeared a while back thought, and… she was considered a traitor to Soul Society, so no one will remember anything about her, except myself." _

"_Her name was Yachiru Gekisen, I'm sure of it." Kenpachi insisted, annoyed at the Captain-Commander for calling the hero a traitor. "Do you have any past records of hollow attacks? I remember the date, and the amount of shinigami on the mission, and it was in the east part of…"_

"_Zaraki." Yamamoto cut in. "Sorry to say, but the 11__th__ company never handed in any of its paperwork. And anything that was handed in on her was destroyed." Kenpachi sighed. _

"_Fine then," he muttered, turning. "Thanks anyway." He left the building. _

_Yachiru jumped onto his back, a habit she always had even in Rukongai. _

"_So!" she chirped happily." We're in the Seireitei now! And I'm your lieutenant, the Brit told me! What were you doing in their with the old man anyway? And where is the girl you named me after wasn't she suppose to be he… Ken-chan?" she ended her talks with a question tone, peering over his shoulder to look him in the eye. He had stopped in front of the 11__th__ company barracks, but did not enter. _

"_Ken-chan?" she asked, concern in her eyes. He did not answer. _

"_Ken-chan, I'm sure she would want you to stay in the Seireitei even though she's not here." Kenpachi turned to Yachiru. She smiled a kind and reassuring smile at him. _

_Kenpachi knew she was right. A first, it was a matter of serving under his hero. Then, it became the dream of working alongside her, as a Shinigami, the most respected and powerful body of people in Soul Society. That began just a simple longing to feel like he belonged, to surround him with others who would fight to keep the peace. _

_He gave Yachiru a rare smile. "Yeah," he finally replied. Then together, they walked into the barracks, ready to face their subordinates._

_However, even as he, Yachiru, and later his right hand men Ikkaku and Yumichika had many adventures in Soul Society, he still had the same feeling within him. He would grow strong enough, so that someday he would go out and find the first Yachiru, and be able to face her and say, "Will you train me now?"_

…

"So you are the kid." She looked over Kenpachi. "The one from Rukongai." She smiled at him. "A captain now huh?"

Ichigo had never seen Kenpachi so serious.

"I killed your captain looking for you." Kenpachi stood and shook his sword clean of blood. He looked at the long gash down her arm. He only manage to hit her there, she had cut him all over.

"Never liked that idiot." She smirked. He responded with another attempt of a hit, only for her to block it and push him back.

"Why didn't you tell me your real name?" he growled as he got up. She was stunned for a second, but it turned into a mocking smile.

"I forgot." She swung a punch at his face. He raised his sword and she punched that instead.

"Don't give me that cr-!" he never finished his sentence, she took out her sword and held it in front of her. His eyes widened.

"What is this? You didn't have a sword that time." He looked confused at it. His face had completely changed. His maniacal craze for fighting was gone, here, he looked as if he would rather be anywhere instead of facing this strong opponent.

He saw Yachiru look up at him from next to Ichigo. Both she and Ichigo were watching with fearful eyes. Turning back to his opponent, he looked her in the eyes.

"I'm sorry, Yachiru Gekisen."

Behind him he heard Yachiru gasp. Holding his sword up as well, he made to strike. However, she pointed her sword up to his face. She was going to release her sword, and this time, nothing would be able to stop her.

"Kill…

Shinoakuma."

…

Byakuya landed on the ground, his hand balancing him from completely falling. He jumped once again out of the way to avoid the woman's ravage attack. Her sword stuck into the ground where Byakuya was at only a few seconds ago, and her impact made a small crater in the ground. She pulled her stinger-blade out of the ground and shook it to get the dirt off. Walking toward Byakuya, she pointed her blade and flew at him. He just barely avoided it again.

"What are you doing?" he shouted, as she swung around to face him. She smirked.

She had completely changed. Her soft lavender eyes that once showed kindness and compassion were full of mockery and coldness. Her beautiful hair that framed her face perfectly was tied up into a harsh ponytail. She was taller now, and dressed more promiscuity, rather then her modest attire from almost fifty-five years.

His precious and beautiful angel was now trying to kill him.

And he couldn't raise a sword against her.

Just knowing it was her, just knowing if he were to fight back he would be battling her for real, was enough for his held back attitude. He wouldn't raise his sword up against her; despite it being a totally different person from his loved one, it was still the same person.

"Show your shikai!" she roared at him, raising her blade and swinging it downward, he jumped back as her sword made another crater into the ground. She wasn't fighting strategically; rather, she was striking crazily.

"I can't!" he yelled back. She shot him a dangerous look, and swung again but he shunpoed to the side so that she shot past him. Bracing herself, she turned to face him.

"Do you still think I'm that weak girl you needed to protect so many years ago?" she sneered. He looked at her confused.

"Well, I'm not." She continued on. Holding her hand out from her side, Byakuya was surprised to see kido flashes emit from it.

It was a complete Shunko.

"Where did you learn that?" he gasped. She just gave a small smile.

"This is the end, Byakuya sama." She whispered scathingly, holding her arm at him. He saw the kido concentrated on her arm, and the white lightning grew bigger around her closed fist. The back of her shirt ripped, leaving a thin thread holding it to her skirt. Her gloves flew off, as the kido grew bigger and bigger. Her eyes narrowed.

The kido released and hit Byakuya. He flew back.

"Hisana!" he screamed. The said woman smirked.

…

Yoruichi watched as the girl's shunko hit Byakuya. Despite its appearance as one that she might have done, it was incomplete, and the attack would not kill Byakuya. All that kido was for show; it was almost ¼ of Yoruichi's power.

However, who could have taught it to her?

Her eyes scanned the whole of Karakura town. She was currently on top of the Urahara Shoten, overlooking the town. Because her eyes could adjust to the darkness around her, she could clearly see all the battles going on.

Yachiru Gekisen, the green haired lady, was fighting Kenpachi. Yoruichi was one of the few that Yachiru told her actual name, being they were both expert hand-to-hand combatants, and grew close when they trained together. Kana Tamasa, the Tamasa noble house head, was battling the 10th company captain and his lieutenant. Even back in the Soul Society, she was as sadistic and ruthless, and with her angelic face she could get away with anything. She never had met the Kannichi Aoitsu girl, but knew her as Yachiru's third seat. She also never had met Hisana Kuchiki, but from what she gathered, she was the loving wife of Bya-boy.

Yoruichi watched Byakuya and Hisana's fight. Byakuya had risen, but still refused to raise his sword against his wife. She was preparing another shunko.

Yachiru had just pointed her sword at Kenpachi. He in return was standing there, not moving and seemingly accepting defeat. They had met before. Yoruichi remembered Yachiru's description of a Rukongai boy who emitted strong reiatsu. She had felt it when she invaded Soul Society with the kids.

Both Kannichi and the boy lay on the floor, near dead. They had taken each other out but neither could make the final blow to kill, their love for each other too strong.

Yoruichi sighed. This was too planned. Every battle was personal; there was more at stake then their whole group goal. The enemy had more reasons for attacking.

But why? And how did this all happen at the same time?

Yoruichi turned her attention to the last battle. She saw her friend, Kana Tamasa swing her sword at the young captain. It extended but hit the ground, as Hitsugaya dodged.

Yoruichi remembered when she first found out her swords name. It had taken her years, but finally she got it. Then Yoruichi and Kana had spent thousands of hours in the 2nd's barracks practicing.

Then Yoruichi's eyes widened. After her leave, she knew Kana was heartbroken. Her idol had left, and the only one whom she could practice with was equally as distraught. But then, when the ex-10th company captain escaped Soul Society, he told them her new trainer.

_Kana has been practicing with…_

Yoruichi swiftly turned in circles. If he were alive, Kana would definitely align herself with him, because she trusted him with everything.

As she thought more, everything fell into place. That man would know about Hisana and Byakuya, because he was a captain alongside Byakuya. He could teach Hisana shunko, or at least he could give her the gist of it, because as a protégé he learned all the arts of the shinigami.

He would know about Kannichi and Chad's closeness, because he and Aizen had been watching the human's for years.

And he would definitely know about Yachiru, because they were close. He had helped her and Kana escape Soul Society.

Yoruichi closed her eyes. If they were all gathered, then he had to be here too. She focused on finding his reiatsu. Nothing at first.

But then…

Yoruichi turned right. It was little, but it was definitely his. She jumped off the building.

To land on her stomach. Groaning, her cat form picked herself up.

Whoever said cats landed on there two feet had it coming.

…

Whew! Another chapter! As you can see, I love ending chapters on a good note.

Anyway, do not kill me! I'm sorry it's so late! I have a time management problem, and was busy with an application thingy. But I'm back!

Anyway, everything's gonna be faster. I PROMISE. And if not, then you can kill me.

Lol, lots of plot revelations here. Who knew it was coming though? I mean, I left hints all over.

Oh yeah, Shinoakuma (死の悪魔) means Demon of Death.

Not much to say though. Enjoy. And leave a review.

Oh, check out my deviantart page!

Thanks.

~~~EeLgIrL (^.^)


	8. All You Need Is A Little Bit of Hope

Breakdown of the Sphere

_I do not own Bleach._

Chapter 8: All You Need Is A Little Bit of Hope

…

"Now, now Kana, you can't call me a Captain anymore, cause I'm not." The voice rang in the air. Kana turned to the direction it came from.

"Captain Kurosaki." She hissed. Upon this, a grinning Isshin Kurosaki stepped out of the darkness.

"Kana-chan, you can't call me that no more, ya know?" he grinned at her. She returned with a swing of her sleeve. He easily deflected it.

"We're both former 10th company captains now, aren't we?" Isshin continued, as she stared at him. The rest of them, feeling hostility in the air, kept silent.

"So you can consider me your equal." he finished with a swing of his sword, which Kana blocked with her sleeve. Isshin jumped back.

"Isn't this like old times?" he chuckled, standing up. "Me and you fighting, and Ran-chan watching on?" Everyone jumped in shock. Ran-chan? Rangiku looked confused.

"Ran… chan?" she questioned him. She knew him from his efforts during the war, but they weren't **that** close. To put it bluntly, he wouldn't have any right to call her by such a friendly name.

Then, Kana's words from before came to her. They hadn't made any sense...

_"__You are 3rd seat Rangiku Matsumoto. You served under Lieutenant Kana Tamasa of Soul Society's Tamasa Noble House. Our captain was…"_

She never was a third seat. Before Hitsugaya became a captain, no one dare touched the top three positions of her company because of how the past captains had never lasted long. The story was the captain of 10th always died, taking his lieutenant and third down with him.

What was going on?

"She won't remember," Kana announced. She had stood to her full height. Her playfulness of only a few seconds ago had turned to a mature demeanor. Kana looked at Isshin with disgust. "We are both Soul Society traitors, all traces of us in the Soul Society have been erased." Isshin stood there, a sad look crossing his face.

Rangiku sank down against the wall, trying to remember who these two were. Nothing came to her.

Hitsugaya looked at her with confusion. Then he straightened up and regained his dignified look.

"Look, I don't give a damn what the hell is going on, but if you guys are both traitors of Soul Society…" Hitsugaya ended this part with a slash of his sword. A Chinese dragon erupted from the tip, and the air grew noticeably colder. Orihime, Rangiku and Uryu shivered, but both former captains were unnerved.

"…then…" Hitsugaya pointed his dragon at Kana and Isshin, who were conveniently standing right next to each other. The dragon began roaring its way over to them.

"On my duty as a Captain, I must kill you!" he roared, and the dragon trapped both their legs to the floor. However, Kana merely kicked her way out of the ice. She smirked.

No one saw it coming, it just did. Hitsugaya felt a sudden stabbing straight to his chest. He looked down to see a sword retracting. His gaze returned to the girl in front of him.

"My Nagahekitana can go as fast or slow as I wish." Kana flicked her sleeve. Her sword was firmly in her hands, but the spikes from her wristband were wrapped around the hilt as well.

Hitsugaya held at his wound. How did he miss that? He had faced many swords that gained speed when they were released, but hers was different. The Gotei Thirteen Captains were trained to look for signals in the hands; a twitch of a finger, a flick of the wrist; even a slight movement of the hand was carefully analyzed. Hitsugaya had watched her hands carefully, as her sword suggested such a power. Yet, nothing had happened, and he still was attacked.

"Bankai~ Daiguren Hyorinmaru!" he yelled. Instantly, wings sprang from his back. His hands and feet turned into claws.

"Guncho Tsurara!" he swung his sword and an array of ice daggers flew at Kana. Her sleeves blocked their path, but blood splotches started on her sleeves wherever the dagger made it to the skin.

Kana lowered her sleeve. "Darn it, Captain of 10th," she muttered. "You are a prodigy are you not?" She looked up, her smile back on her face.

"G~~reat!" she beamed. Everyone narrowed his or her eyes at this sudden change in her. "I li~ike stronglings!" She giggled at her sentence, and then swung her sword at Hitsugaya. He prepared to block, but it flew over him.

_Crash!_ Hitsugaya turned and his eyes widened. With one swipe, she took out two whole flowers, and half of the last.

_Damn! I forgot about them!_ Hitsugaya thought angrily. He had though he would mature enough so they would no longer be present, but he was apparently wrong. Still, to take out 10 petals of his bankai lifespan… Unlike his actual bankai, those could not grow back.

As long as he had two left though, he could still fight.

Hitsugaya pointed his sword at her, preparing to unleash his greatest technique. Kana didn't move, she just grinned mockingly at him.

_Crash! _

Kana had not even raised her sword; yet the last two petals broke. Hitsugaya fell to the ground.

"Young captain," he heard a grave voice above him, looking up, he saw the face of Isshin Kurosaki.

"Kana has a secret technique," the man continued, looking up at the girl. "Her sword does not speed up of slow down, time speeds up or slows down. You were fighting at perhaps half of your speed, meaning that your attacks or defenses were always two seconds late." Standing up fully, Isshin took out his sword.

"Kana," he addressed her. "Her smile disappeared, and she narrowed her eyes at him. "Do not resort to such dirty tricks, remember what I taught you?" She growled.

"You're not my captain no more," she hissed, dropping to a catlike stance. "Remember?" Pouncing, she nearly got him until he let out a Getsuga Tensho that hit her square in the chest. She flipped in mid air and landed on her feet.

"You're not my captain anymore for the stupidest of reasons," she murmured, swinging her sword at Isshin. He blocked it with ease.

"Love is not stupid." he grinned at her. She growled.

…

"Hisana, goddamn it, what the hell?" Byakuya cursed as he stood on his feet. He was badly shaken, but not wounded severely. Hisana raised her eyes at this.

"Since when have you cursed so profanely?" she laughed, smiling at Byakuya. He growled.

"Since my wife wanted to kill me." He snarled back at her. "What happened to the Hisana I married? How come you're back, but different?" Hisana stopped mid laugh, and her smile became a frown. She strode over to where he was wobbling as he stood and pushed him back down with her hand.

"Do you still not see that I am no longer the weak girl that needs to be protected at all times?" She roared, jumping into the air. She pointed her stinger for his heart.

"Well, I'm not," she hissed. She plunged the stinger right into Byakuya's chest.

He heard a hum, and immediately felt pain all over. Blood squirted from the point of impact.

He wanted to scream, but at the same time, his mouth wouldn't move. He coughed, more blood spluttering out. Something was screaming in his ears, deafening him, and his eyes went blurry.

Hisana took the gauntlet out and shook it clean of blood. Then, kneeling down next to Byakuya, she whispered, "And don't you forget that."

Smirking, she stood and left Byakuya on the floor. She poised to take off and help Kana, when she heard a slight moan. Looking to her left, she saw the limp body of Rukia stir. Deciding against leaving, she fell back.

Byakuya watched with bated breath. Surely Hisana would not kill her sister, she was the one that wanted her safe, and begged Byakuya to find her and care for her.

Couldn't Hisana at least remember that love for her sister she had?

He watched as she ran her finger against her blade, contemplating something. His heart sank. She had become the reincarnate of the devil. He saw her walk toward her.

Blood had stopped flowing from his chest, but his whole body was screaming in pain. It would be so much easier to close his eyes and let the pain get to him. If he closed his eyes, all the pain would go away…

NO! Rukia! His wife was going to kill his sister! He couldn't let that happen, he couldn't!

He tried to reach for his sword, just a foot away. However, no matter how much he tried to grab it, it seemed to pull farther and farther away. His head pounded, his body ached. He had to close his eyes. The venom was spreading and his body became weak. The dizziness was taking over. He let out a single tear as he felt his eyelids shut.

_I'm sorry Hisana…_

A flash of her glowing face crossed his brain. It was the Hisana that loved. The one whom when they were together, were the best days in his life.

_Byakuya-sama…_

He saw her face again, from when she was dying. He tried to close that picture out of his brain; he did not want to see it.

_Please, find my sister; protect her as if she were your own…_

He shook his head. _No, No! Don't put me in pain anymore!_

_I-I promise Hisana._

He heard his voice, and cried internally. He had failed at that. He couldn't. Now, Rukia was about to die at the hands of a monster, and he couldn't do a thing to stop it.

_Nii-san!_

Hisana's face turned to Rukia's. Her face was in pain; he remembered that that was when he saved her from death after Aizen's betrayal. She needed him then, she needed his protection.

She needed him now too, yet he had failed her.

_Nii-san?_

His eyes flashed open.

This was different. This was not a call from his memory. It was hesitant, almost afraid. It seemed real.

It was real.

His eyes widened. He looked over to Rukia. Her mouth was open. She saw Hisana, was as paralyzed as him. She was helpless.

Rukia was calling to him. She needed him.

Hisana was above the girl now, her stinger pointed straight for the heart, when a thousand blades hit her back. She arched midair, her mouth coughing up blood, and fell onto the floor, two feet from her actual target. Coughing, she turned, and saw Byakuya standing there, shards of blades returning to his sword hilt.

She wobbled, coughing as she stood. "What was that for?" she groaned, and turned. Byakuya didn't answer; he merely dropped his sword to the ground.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

Blades aroused from the ground around him. The air darkened, and Hisana shivered. What was this power? She had never seen such thing before.

One by one the giant blades erupted into thousands of shards. They swirled in the air, glittering and glowing against the black night. Byakuya's hands guided them in a circle, and they gathered together. He swung the shards at Hisana. They shot forward.

She couldn't block them, there were too many. She held her hands up in defense, but that did no good. They pierced her skin.

"GAHHHHH!" she screamed. The pain was excruciating. She fell to the ground, and Byakuya stood over her.

"I remember my wife," he murmured his eyes piercing her heart. "The kind hearted, loving Hisana, whom spent her last days forever searching for her sister."

"I remember," he continued, "her dying words. 'Find her, take her in,' she said. 'Protect her as if she were your own sister.' Yet, someone tried to kill the one she wanted me to forever protect." He held his sword at par with Hisana's neck.

"And therefore, by the words of my deceased wife, I have no choice but to kill you," he hissed. "Monster."

…

Kenpachi stared at his former hero. Her sword had changed to a lightning bolt shape. Electric currents crackled over it.

"I prefer calling my sword 'Shino Denki Akuma'." Yachiru Gekisen swung her sword as if to test it.

"They called me the Lightning Demon for my speed, so a sword to match that nickname was unsurprising." she grinned at Kenpachi, but he didn't return it.

"Why don't you release yours, so we can have an even fight?" she nodded toward the sword in Kenpachi's hand. He made no move.

"Are you just gonna stand there?" Her smile dropped. Kenpachi tightened his grip on his sword.

"How else did you lie to me?" he hissed. She looked at him, amused. "Were you never a lieutenant? Are you not a former Shinigami?" She chuckled, dropping her head.

"I forgot to tell you the pseudonym I went by," she slightly smiled, mouth parted open a tiny bit. "And just cause I'm wicked at Hakuda doesn't mean I didn't have a sword." She looked up at Kenpachi.

"So now will you show me your swords power?" She held her sword up to Kenpachis' head. He still didn't move.

"Ken-chan?" Yachiru's petite voice rang out as she looked at Kenpachi. "What's wrong?" The other Yachiru looked at the younger.

"Ken-chan?" she questioned Kenpachi. "Are you the new Kenpachi?" Scoffing at her stupidity (it was obvious by his haori), she turned her sword on the pink-haired girl.

"And I suppose you're the kid Maru was talking about, the new Kenpachi's little brat." An electric current crackled from the tip, and the sky grew darker around the green-haired lady.

Kenpachi's eyes widened. _Yachiru!_

Yet Yachiru, even as she faced death, did not make any move to stop the lady. She simply smiled at Kenpachi.

Kenpachi felt his insides turn. _She believed in me._

_Clang!_

Yachiru Gekisen's eyes widened. Something had stopped her electric current. A sword had clashed with hers, and her Shikai Special Ability had been halted.

That was not possible. The greatness of her power was that if someone tried to stop it with sword power only, they would fail. The electricity would be drawn to the sword, and like a lightning rod, would gather. This would then travel its way up to the hilt and electrocute the wielder.

It was foolproof. There was no way around it. Yet…

Kenpachi's face was wild with excitement and anger. He had not even taken his eye patch off; yet, the reiatsu he gave off was making Yachiru Gekisen go weak. He had definitely grown since the last time she had seen him.

Yet, what was the change? Before he was frozen and could not move, now… he had the crazed look of the real Kenpachi.

"I named that kid there after you," Kenpachi whispered, yet loud enough for Ichigo and Yachiru Kusajishi to here. Both Yachirus gasped.

"I'm glad I met you," They separated, their swords facing back, both bracing incase the other had a surprise attack.

"Why?" Gekisen hissed. "Were you not angry at the fact that you came looking for me, yet I was not there?"

"If you didn't give me resolve to make it to the Seireitei," Kenpachi continued, "Yachiru would be dead. I might be dead. And I wouldn't be amongst the best fighters amongst the whole of Rukongai." Yachiru Gekisen smirked.

"Glad I could help," Yachiru swung her sword in his direction, and an electric current blasted off the tip. Kenpachi grinned like a maniac, and merely blocked the current.

"Are you the strongest of your group?" He roared, laughing at Yachirus' shock. "Cause you ain't that strong no more! I'm gonna KILL YOU!" He roared in laughter.

Yachiru Kusajishi watched with happiness. Her Ken-chan was back.

…

Ichigo watched as well, as Kenpachi became his wild self once again. He was in awe. Normally, he would avoid thinking anything around Kenpachi except "Run!" but as the captain was not fighting Ichigo, he was able to sit back and admire the beauty of Kenpachi's fighting skills.

Ichigo watched as Kenpachi blocked another of Yachiru Gekisen's electric currents. She was getting angrier, if her reddening face was any indication. The way Ichigo figured, no one else had been able to block her electricity attack.

Kenpachi was practically invincible. Yachiru had nothing left up her sleeve. Ichigo figured that electric thing was her strongest attack. With it rendered useless, she was weak.

And Kenpachi? Well, he was enjoying it! Ichigo saw that maniacal smile, the one that always showed when Kenpachi was having fun. The one that Ichigo was afraid; except now, he was grateful it showed in this battle.

He didn't know what had happened to change his mood from frozen and unable to fight to his killing mode, but Ichigo was glad. Kenpachi was back.

If only Ichigo could change his mood as well.

Ichigo leaned against the wall and sighed. He was so afraid of losing control to his hollow. He knew that he could fight this woman, but it might require too much power, and his hollow would take advantage of that.

It had taken him so long to maintain any control over his hollow. There was no way he could do it all over without killing himself. Heck, he already escaped death so many times! How many more until his luck ran out?

But because of his fear, others had to fight. And not all of them were winning.

He was not stupid. This woman might have given his powers back, but now she and the rest of her group was trying to kill him and his friends. He could feel the reiatsu of the battles around him. Byakuya, Hitsugaya, Orihime, Uryu. Even his father was fighting. Chad and Rukia were dead. They were all losing.

Ichigo stared at the fight between Gekisen (or was it Yachiru?) and Kenpachi. Kenpachi was still winning, but he was tiring out. No one could withstand such a strong attack for so long. Ichigo could see the electricity reaching his body. The woman's attack was working.

Yet Kenpachi fought on. He still smiled maniacally, still swung his sword at the hardest, and fought to his best ability. He was enjoying this time, facing off with such a strong opponent yet not breaking a sweat.

Ichigo knew he needed to fight on. He wouldn't let his friends die. He _couldn't_.

_Hey King. Looks like you finally got it huh._

Ichigo froze. His hollow was talking to him?

_I'll back down for now, but don't you worry, I will become King someday. Just you watch._

Ichigo smiled to himself. _Thanks_, he thought, and he slowly stood up.

"Hey Kenpachi, why don't you save some of the fighting for me?"

…

"You wouldn't know anything about love, cause you turned down every guy who asked you out!" Isshin yelled. Kana flipped in midair, and her sword extended straight for Isshin. He blocked it with ease and sent it flying straight back.

"Well, someone had to do the paperwork, and you were off gallivanting with the girls in Rukongai!" Kana screamed back, as Isshin sent a Getsuga Tensho flying at her. She blocked it with the small of her sword, grabbed it, and after enhancing it with her own reiatsu, sent it flying back. Isshin jumped out of the way as it crashed through the nearest warehouse.

"No one uses the term gallivanting no more Kana!" Isshin shunpo up to Kana's back, and went for a strike. However, Kana jumped up, and he hit air.

"Does your wife know that you were a womanizer?" Kana taunted, and out of her sleeve shot her sword. It struck the ground right near Isshin's foot, and he jumped back in alarm.

Isshin didn't answer, but unleashed another Getsuga Tensho. Kana didn't bother with sending it back; she dodged and shot out her sword again. It hit Isshin in the shoulder, and he fell back in pain.

"Woops! Sorry!" Kana giggled. She put her hands on her hips. "Gonna go running to Ma-sa-ki now, like you did so long ago?" Isshin growled, and he shunpo up to her. She jumped yet again as he thrust his sword in an attempt for her chest.

"Ooohhh right, you can't cause she's…" Kana trailed off, and Isshin swung his sword trying to get her. But she jumped again and her sword came flying out of her sleeve, piercing him in his other shoulder.

"Dead." Kana landed in front of him. Isshin cried out in rage, but Kana stopped his angry swing with her hand, and pushed him back.

"Was it worth it?" Kana hissed. "Was it worth giving up a captain position, a beautiful, strong and well-known fiancé, and becoming an enemy of the strongest people in all of the **world**, just to marry someone who died just a few years later?" Isshin leaned forward and the two were face to face.

"Kana," he started, and rose once again. He was considerable taller then the petite girl, but she was unnerved.

"I didn't leave because of her. She was an excuse so that I could get out of the Soul Society." Kana stood there, frozen.

"Kisuke Urahara, he… he asked me a favor. It would require me disappearing completely from the Soul Society, because… of the extreme of the favor. I wasn't so happy of leaving all those things behind, but this… this was important. It was a life-threatening situation, to both the human world and the Soul Society. So, I did." Isshin sighed. Kana felt her insides burning with rage.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kana hissed. She shot out her sword from her sleeve, but he caught it before it made contact his chest. Blood squirted from his hands, but he showed no sign of pain.

"Let's start over Kana," Isshin smiled down at her, and Kana's heart leapt. "I'm sorry I left you, especially during the time you needed support and love the most." Kana felt her stomach turn. Here was her captain again. Her Isshin, the one she loved to hate. She felt herself being drawn to his spell, believing that they could start over, that she didn't need to fight.

Her head pounded. _No!_ her inner self was crying out. _Don't fall for it!_

Maru-dono's face came to her mind. She knew he was watching the battles, and right now, he probably wasn't pleased with how hers was coming out.

She couldn't fail him. He did too much for her, too much for all of them.

"I'm sorry," Kana smiled mockingly up at Isshin. "I'm sorry that I will have to kill you."

She tried to plunge her sword through his chest, but it never made it. A pillar of ice surrounded her, and an arrow shot straight through the ropes holding onto her sword. She managed to catch it before it fell to the floor.

"And I'm sorry," she heard Hitsugaya's voice behind her. She tried to turn, but the ice had wrapped around her neck. She was really trapped, and possibly could not get out.

"That we will have to stop that from happening."

…

Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho was bigger then before. Yachiru couldn't stop it; she was jumping all over the place just to dodge it.

He was more confident as well. Instead of fear, his eyes showed determination. She supposed those were the same eyes Maru-dono had found closure with, the ones that allowed him to trust Ichigo with the most important task of all.

And he completed it.

For the first time in her life, Yachiru felt fear. She didn't when she faced all those hollows, when her fiancé left her, when the Soul Society was chasing her. Heck, she didn't feel it when he "kidnapped" (as he liked to call it) her, and gave her extreme powers beyond all.

Yet she felt it with this measly young boy, who only two seconds ago had _feared her._

"Hey Ichigo, why don't ya let me finish my fight damn it!" Kenpachi called out. Ichigo had gotten up and pushed Kenpachi with such force that the larger man was sent crashing into a brick wall. The captain was unnerved though; he looked excited at a possibly stronger Ichigo then before.

"Cause I can't let you have all the fun," Ichigo called back, "Plus, she'll be good exercise for when I fight you, right?"

"Who you calling exercise?" Yachiru made one last attempt. Ichigo blocked and pushed her to the corner of two buildings.

"Well", Ichigo smiled mockingly at her. "It's not everyday that someone receives Shinigami powers, yet it's happened to me twice. I guess I'll thank you for that by killing you, what do you say?"

He flew in her direction. Yachiru couldn't raise her arms, her sword hung limply against her side. She was trapped.

Only a glimmer of hope was left…

…

Hisana was on her hands and knees, struggling to get up.

Kana was trapped in a pillar of ice petals, unable to move.

Yachiru was backed into a corner, with nowhere to go.

A loud yap filled the air. Everyone heard it, but only three knew what it meant. It was a signal from their leader.

All three tightened their grip on their swords. They didn't want to use this, but it needed to be done.

The Shinigami would feel sorry they ever messed with them.

"Pierce, Amatahachidori."

"Shoot Forward, Nagakiritana!"

"Kill… Shinoakumahime."

…

Before you kill me, let me give you my reason for not updating.

Um…

Okay, fine, I don't got nothing.

Go ahead and shoot me.

Didn't really like this chapter, but had to get it out before my conscience killed me. And before I make empty promises, I don't know when the next chapter will be out.

Isshin and Kana have a Yoruichi and Sui-Feng relationship, LoL. Wasn't suppose to be like that, but had no choice. The whole thing before came out fake sounding.

Anyway, name meanings.

Shino Denki (電気) Akuma- Electric Demon of Death. I actually had no idea what her sword power would do, but going back to the first chapter, decided on this. And I didn't want to change it from last chapter; plus, her bankai would have been MAD long.

Amatahachidori (アマタハチドリ) -Many Hummingbirds. Yeah, so original.

Nagakiritana (ナガキリタナ)- Long Stabbing Sword. At least, I think so.

Shinoakumahime (シオニヒメ)- Demon Princess of Death. Doesn't Shinodenkiakumahime sound long to you?)

Please review?

~~~EeLgIrL (^.^)


	9. Seeming Like There's No Way to Win

Breakdown of the Sphere

_I do not own Bleach._

Chapter 9: Seeming Like There's No Way to Win…

…

She stood midair, her wings flapping to keep her up. He wasn't sure if it was to impersonate an angel, because she was far from it.

He wasn't sure what happened. He had the upper hand, but then after that fox call; she had gotten her strength back, and even stronger now.

There was a flash after her words before, and Byakuya was momentarily blinded. When he regained sight, she was in the form that she was now. Similar to an Arrancar's Resurreccion, and most likely equal in power, this new form was not to be reckoned with.

"Would this be perhaps your bankai?" Byakuya inquired, and Hisana nodded. He continued to watch her cautiously. He had nearly been beaten by her Shikai state, so who knew what this had in store?

They stared in silence for a few more minutes. Byakuya did not know what was going through Hisana's mind, but he was prepared for anything she had for him. He would wait and watch her attack first, and then devise a plan to counterattack it.

He heard the hum near his ear, and swung the sword upright to block it. However, something else hit him in the chest, and another in his leg. He looked down but saw nothing. Returning his gaze to Hisana, he saw three birds returning to her wings.

With a closer glance, he realized the birds became feathers. The wings consisted of rows and rows of dark green feathers. Each was oval shaped with an extremely sharp tip.

She pointed her hand toward Byakuya, and two feathers detached from the wing. They flew at him, transforming into mini hummingbirds. Byakuya jumped up, but they followed his path. He swung his sword at both of them, and they fell to the ground, crumpled up.

Pointing his sword at Hisana, he raced toward her and swung to cut her wings off. However, metal hit metal, and he was easily retracted. Hisana turned to look at him, amused.

"Byakuya-sama, lost your game?" she joked. Byakuya responded with another round of his Shikai special ability, shards of his blade shooting at Hisana at all angles. Her wings merely wrapped themselves around her body, and his blades retracted to his hilt.

"How does it feel to be beat at your own game?" Hisana smirked. Byakuya betrayed no emotion, but he was feeling nervous. His own swords power was considered unstoppable, as in his whole life he had only been beaten once, by Ichigo Kurosaki. Here was someone who used a similar power, and was most likely as "unstoppable" as he was.

What was most surprising was the fact that she had such a similar power. Byakuya felt a hint of pride as he realized that he and his wife had shared yet another thing in common.

That feeling disappeared as quickly as it had come. She was no longer his wife, but a monster who tried to break him off of his beloved Hisana's last wishes. He held his sword into a fighting pose, ready to attack. She smirked.

Their battle had begun.

…

"Ahh!" Orihime screamed as she too was lifted into the air. Matsumoto had long before fallen to the trap, and was midair, thrashing for a way out.

Kana laughed from atop her throne. While her teammate had physically transformed, she herself had close to no change. All that had happened was a mountain had risen from the floor, which she now currently sat upon. What had changed were her attacks.

Hitsugaya would rather have faced a thousand hollows then this.

"Uh!" Hitsugaya heard the groan from behind him, and saw Uryu Ishida lifted up as well. Kana's hair had grown even longer, and now acted like tentacles. It was separated into rope-like strands, which could wrap around her victims. On top of that, each strand had a sharp edge, and one came aiming for Hitsugaya.

He jumped out of the way, but it still pinned down his haori. He pulled at it and it tore into two. Disposing of the accessory, he was nearly pinned down himself if Isshin Kurosaki had not pulled him out of the way.

Not only had her attack grown considerable bigger, but also they were weaker. That Shikai Special Ability was present in her bankai… thing, except it slowed them down even more.

It was like a game of tag, except it was five against… however many of those tentacle things. They were walking while she was at max speed, and to be caught meant immediate ejection from the game. The first five players in this demented game had dwindled to two, and both were close to losing as well.

"Young captain, we have to stay a step ahead of her," Isshin huffed, "in order to remain on the ground." Hitsugaya growled.

"I know that!" he yelled. Isshin eyes rose in surprise. "But I only met her a few minutes ago, so I'm not sure what her next attack is! How am I supposed to stay a step ahead of something I don't know of?"

They stood in silence. Kana watched, amused.

"Sorry," Hitsugaya sighed. Isshin chuckled.

"No worries, I heard Kana was this immature as a captain as well." Isshin ruffled Hitsugaya's hair. His anger went up.

"I'm not a child!" Hitsugaya roared. Isshin stepped back, smiling.

"Never said you were, but if you insist on being called one…" Isshin trailed off. Hitsugaya's anger boiled.

"Gosh, you two fight like a Captain and subordinate," Kana droned. She was sitting with her head in her hand, bored looking. "Maybe you should go back as the 10th company captain, this young guy can be your lieutenant."

"Shut up!" Both of them roared.

"Guncho Tsurara!" Hitsugaya swung his sword and an array of ice daggers appeared again, which shot at the hair strand holding Matsumoto. At the same time, Isshin aimed a Getsuga Tensho at the one holding Uryu. Kana dodged Isshin's attack, but was shocked when Hitsugaya's hit square on. She dropped Matsumoto, who landed on her feet and shunpo to her captain.

The number had risen to three. They could gain the upper hand if they played their cards right.

Both Hitsugaya and Isshin aimed to get Uryu down, but Kana dodged both. However, they still hit in other places, and Kana yelped in pain.

"Growl, Haineko!" Matsumoto's swords blade disappeared, and ash surrounded the air. Matsumoto concentrated on the area around Orihime in attempt to get her down. The ash gathered around those areas, and hit straight on.

Matsumoto let out a low "Yes!" at her success. However, this was short-lived as the dust cleared and Orihime was revealed to still be in Kana's grasps. The attack had hit Orihime instead. Matsumoto's eyes widened.

"Matsumoto!" Hitsugaya's screamed as a hair strand caught her from behind. Matsumoto had been caught… again.

Hitsugaya felt himself lift into the air as well. In the moment that he was watching Matsumoto, Kana had also caught him. Eyes widening, he watched helplessly as he rose higher from the ground.

The number dwindled to one. It was all on Isshin to defeat her. Barely avoiding three strands of hair that aimed for him, he ran from the site, sticking his tongue out at Kana. Then, he let out four consecutive Getsuga Tensho's aimed for each of the caught. Unfortunately, Kana blocked each, unnerved.

Despite this, Hitsugaya felt calm that they were to rely on Isshin Kurosaki in the end. He was strong, and knew Kana's attacks well. If there was any that could get them down, it was he.

At least, Hitsugaya hoped so. Really hoped so.

…

Four Shikai, two Bankai, and even one Senkei attack later, Byakuya stood their panting. He had tried every attack that was suitable for the small space they were in, but none prevailed.

It was quite pathetic really. He was one of the strongest Shinigami around, yet he was still getting his butt kicked.

What was also as pathetic was Hisana's strength. Everyone had a weakness. He just couldn't find hers.

She was strong on offense. Her power was similar to his, as both utilized multiple of the same object to fight. His was the shards of his blade; hers was the feathers on her wings, transformed into hummingbirds. However, hers was by far stronger, while he was limited to the same amount at once, she could fluctuate between one too… who knows how many. He didn't want to stick around to find out.

Her defense was as impressive. The wings were an equivalent to a metal blade, which could block anything. His attacks bounced off harmlessly. They covered the whole of her body, and were indestructible.

She flew over to where he stood, and pointed a dozen more birds in his direction. He hit off as many as he could, but there was still many that got to him.

He looked down over his body. Red bloodstains appeared all over. He was losing a lot of blood, and the fact that he couldn't take out all the birds at one time was getting to him.

He tried again with his Shikai, releasing it with no command. She didn't bother to block this time; instead, a bird was released to pin _each and every one _of his blade shards.

He was trapped now. Kido was helpless against her, as he had tried numerous times. He took off, hoping to avoid her, but she flew again and stopped his path.

She produced a sword, a regular katana with a simple cross guard. The cross guard was a simple open frame, like a four-pane window. It had a white-colored hilt and white sheathe. Eyes widening, he realized that it was an exact copy of his own.

And it was aiming for his head.

He took a step back, but she was quicker to catch up. It swung and…

Clang!

Byakuya opened his eyes, which widened at the sight in front of him.

Two girls who were identical in looks had clashed. If he did not know better, he would have though they were the same person.

One was dressed in a white kimono, which was accompanied by dark green wings. She had a look of shock on her face, and was obviously holding her sword in defense of herself.

The other had on a black kimono. She was covered in blood, and her face was tired, but determined. Her sword had blocked the others path, and it was pushing back on it.

Both were the women he loved.

Hisana Kuchiki.

Against…

Rukia Kuchiki.

"Who are you and why are you hurting Nii-sama?"

…

Umm… not much to explain. Might be a little confusing, but it will get better along time.

Yachiru Gekisen wasn't revealed in this chapter because I was lazy. ^.^. Wow, this Chapter is one half of the previous one…

I know Bya isn't that weak, but for the sake of the story pretends he is. Also, he is so taken by the fact that he's fighting his wife that he doesn't want to go on? IDK, made sense before…

I guess I'm hurrying this story along as fast as I can…

Read and Review?

~~~EeLgIrL (^.^)


	10. Carelessness Has Its Consequences

Breakdown of the Sphere

_I do not own Bleach._

Chapter 10: Carelessness Has It's Consequences

…

Maru-dono chuckled as he watched Yachiru in her "bankai". Actually, it could not be called such anymore. Now, it resembled more of an Arrancar's Resurreccion. When the four girls and he received the power of the Hogyoku, they're former abilities had evolved. He had no idea what his were like as he had yet to use it, but each of the girls had been by far impressive. They still had the basic elements of their former zanpakuto, but now their bodies were changed during release to enhance these abilities. There were few Shinigami that had such power as this. A Shinigami's sword was most often the only source of the attack. However, Arrancar zanpakutos resembled this ideal perfectly, as the resurreccion changed the body appearance along with the sword. This stayed true with Yachiru, as she now took on a new form, one that was significantly more powerful then her first.

His gaze fell upon the screen with Byakuya and Hisana. When he had first met Hisana, he had wondered how Byakuya had been able to land such a catch as that. Quiet and shy, pretty but not overwhelmingly attractive, and most definitely kind, she would be the ideal woman for all men. Out of everyone that he had gathered, she was the only one without any Shinigami training, but he was able to teach her well. She was a fast learner, and would have been a prodigy such as himself if Byakuya had allowed her Shinigami training. He guided her to become a good Onmitsukido operative, in order to have a good weapon to use in case one every showed up to fight. However, such training prepared her well for her fight with Byakuya, due to the near death experience he had a few moments ago.

His smile turned to a frown when he saw the downed Kannichi and Chad. Indeed the fact that she had been able to finish him was impressive, but he hated those who went down with the enemy. She had been by far the weakest link in their team, but he had hoped that up against one of the weakest of the opposing side would show forth her strength. Alas, it was too much to ask for, love winning out in the end once again.

Looking away from the disgraced sight, he turned his attention upon the last screen. Kana. His personal pride and joy. She was the one that would go the farthest for him, and the one that he trusted the most. They had spent hours in the Soul Society practicing their skills after Yoruichi left, as they both had similar swords. When he became a Captain, she was the first to sign up to be his lieutenant. Unfortunately, he was assigned someone else, and she stayed with 10th company. Nevertheless, they still spent countless hours training together.

He watched as she swung again at Isshin, most likely annoyed at the leniency of his attacks, and how he seemed to underestimate her. That was expected, but what was also expected was an easy win against him soon. He grinned as she grew closer and closer to that goal.

She swung her victims, and one of them crashed to the wall. He winced but kept his smirk, which turned to a frown when he saw whom it was.

Rangiku.

Huffing, he fell back in his chair and leaned back, staring at the ceiling. He wasn't so happy that Captain Hitsugaya had brought her around. Keeping her out of the scheme of things was his biggest priority, but some things could not be entirely avoided. However, watching her get more and more hurt made his heart turn.

He looked at all four screens again. Each girl had something big at stake, but their ultimate goal was what kept them all going. No matter the personal battles, both physical and emotional, that they fought, they still kept going. He couldn't let something as little as an attachment to one of the victims get in the way. Not when they were so close to their goal.

He propped his head in his hands, smirking up at the screen. In the end, it would be all worth it.

…

Hisana flew back and skidded, her hands on the ground to brace her. Rukia struck an offensive pose, which Hisana blocked with another move. Her hummingbird attack seemingly forgotten, she fought solely with her sword now.

Byakuya watched the exchange with wide eyes. They exchanged cool banters since the beginning, neither apparently acknowledging that the other was their sister. Was it possible that he was the only one that knew?

"Why do you call him Nii-sama? I don't recall Byakuya-sama having a sister." Hisana frowned and her eyes narrowed in confusion. Rukia did so as well.

"Who are you to Nii-sama?" she asked. Hisana did not respond, but kicked off and swung her sword at Rukia's head. Rukia narrowly dodged, the blade swinging a half-inch away from her.

"Rukia! Let me fight!" Byakuya yelled out to her. However, as he tried to get up, he felt pain to his abdomen and collapsed again.

"Nii-sama!" Rukia screamed, but did not run to him as Hisana tried another attack. Rukia blocked and pushed Hisana back, making her fly and hit the wall. Hisana righted herself and growled.

"Pierce, Amatahachidori!" Hisana roared, and Rukia turned back, her eyes frightened. Dozens of feathers had detached and were racing to Rukia, transforming into hummingbirds.

"Rukia!" Byakuya cried out. Rukia did nothing to stop the on slaughter. For one moment, Rukia was covered in a blur of green, the next; she was on her knees gasping for air.

Byakuya tried to go over to her, but in his current state, he could not. He watched as Rukia got up, only to be hit once again. It hurt Byakuya dearly to watch his sister be beat like this, but what could he do? It was all in Rukia's hands now.

"Had enough, little girl?" Hisana teased. In the moments that she had reused her hummingbird attack, she had regained power and confidence. She now smirked toward Rukia, who was struggling to get up.

However, Byakuya saw something else in her eyes. He didn't see a helpless girl who had given up. He saw someone who was frighten, yes, but also had a hint of determination. He felt a glimmer of hope in his body. Did she have something else up her sleeve?

"I-I… di-didn't want to… u-use this…" Rukia struggled to say. "B-but, I s-suppose, I wi-will ha-ve t…" She moaned and collapsed. Hisana smirked, but her smile dropped to a frown as Rukia started to get up again.

"Sai-Saigo no-no Mai, Sh-ShirokoRI!" Rukia yelled out the last part. She pointed her sword toward Hisana as she repeated the phrase with a new gained determination;

"Saigo no Mai, Shirokori!"

Hisana's eyes widened. She had gathered from the girls attacking skills that she possessed a zanpakuto with different abilities in shikai. All of her abilities are labeled as "dances", as that was what she called them. Could this, the Last Dance, perhaps be her bankai?

Byakuya also stared in shock at Rukia. A bankai? Did she gain Bankai? And why was he not informed? The name, Last Dance; White Ice, sounded dark and treacherous, but at the same time high and great. Rukia however, had not changed in anyway. While her wounds were gone, her sword remained the same as the Shikai, and there were nothing hanging around her.

Was this perhaps not the defeating attack he thought it would be?

"Pierce, Amatahachidori!" More feathers flew, and became hummingbirds. Rukia's attack had not done anything yet, but Hisana wanted to be prepared. The hummingbirds flew, and were about to hit Rukia when…

She closed her eyes. All the hummingbirds froze, and ice glazed over them. They crashed to the floor and broke.

"I can freeze multiple attacks at once," Rukia calmly stated. "Which render them useless." Hisana growled and sent another round, but this time twice the amount. Rukia smirked.

"I can also do this." The birds froze again, and Rukia's eyebrows creased. Concentrating hard, Rukia pointed her sword toward Hisana, and Hisana gasped of surprise.

Her hummingbirds turned, and with their points stuck out, raced to Hisana. Hisana covered to block, but it was no use. Her own attack was the only thing that could cut through her wings. She groaned as the birds made impact.

Roaring with rage, Hisana let out thousands of feathers, the most that she had ever done. Her wings were becoming bare, as they did not grow back as fast with so many. They all transformed and sped to Rukia. Rukia could not concentrate on all of them, her attack reacted to only a couple hundred, and only half of those could be redirected to Hisana.

Hisana flew toward Rukia, her sword out to take her when she was most vulnerable. However, she could not see the redirected hummingbirds in the blur of green, and they were able to hit her square on her upper body and face. Hisana flew back, her hands holding to her blood covered face.

Unbeknownst to them all, one of the hummingbirds had hit a weak spot. From Hisana's falling body, a single bird flew out, attached to something. The bird fell, but the "thing" remained in flight.

It was a stormy blue ball, with an eye painted on one side. However, it was a cool and hard, and shined in the moonlight. It fell to the ground with a soft thud, and flashed.

…

Ichigo arched in the air, the bolt of lightning hitting where he stood only two seconds ago. In front of him stood Yachiru, smiling maliciously down at him.

After releasing her supposed bankai, there was a giant flash, and when smoke had cleared out, someone completely different. If she had been mean before, she was downright sadistic now.

Her looks had changed. The punk outfit she had on before was replaced with a totally different one. Now, she was graced with an innocent and beautiful appearance. She had on a long pure white dress with a tail and long poet sleeves, which had a slit so that most of it hung off of her elbows. A matching cape accompanied her outfit, and her hair had changed from its bright shade of green to light lavender. She wore ballet shoes, which made soft taps when she walked. She would have looked perfect if her eyes were not glowing red, nor her hands stained with blood.

Instead, she looked as her zanpakuto suggested. The Demon Princess. She acted likewise as well. Since the transformation, there was no more playful banter or light teasing. She had obviously fought only for fun before. She had known her limits, and had never gone in for the final blow. However, now she was completely mad. She became careless in her attacks, and threw lightning bolts all over the place. None had yet reached the destination, but who knew how long it would take before it did?

"Ah damn, Ichigo, can I fight her now?" Kenpachi stood and grinned at the demon. She returned it with a scowl, and aimed a green electric wave at him. He blocked with his sword and moved in for the charge. A lightning bolt-shaped blade appeared in her hands and she blocked his charge. Metal clanged, and both fighters jumped back.

Both had highly amused facial expressions. Neither moved in for another attack. Everyone else stood there in silence.

He suddenly righted himself and swung his sword at her head. That was a bad mistake. She knocked his sword clear out of his hands, and then grabbed his arms and pushed him to his knees. Kenpachi's eyes widened.

"Don't worry, little boy," she murmured, "All I wanted to do was touch your hair." She ran her hand up one silky hair spike, ending with a small jingle of the bell. Growling, Kenpachi threw her to the wall behind her. She held up her hand at him and a lightning bolt shot out. It hit Kenpachi in the chest and he flew to an opposite wall, unconscious.

"Ken-chan!" Yachiru screamed. She flew to Kenpachi, but he just gave her a cold stare. Furious, the little girl turned to the older one.

"You-killed-him!" she roared as she let out a lot of reiatsu. Yachiru Gekisen remained unfazed.

"AHHHHHHHHGGGGHHHHHH!" Yachiru Kusajishi screamed, and ran at her namesake, her sword out.

However, she never got a chance to attack. An electrical discharge was aimed at the young girl, who barely was able to avoid it. Kusajishi landed on the rooftop of a warehouse, growling. She had dropped her sword to save herself, and found no way of retrieving it without crossing paths with the demon.

Ichigo let out a surprise Getsuga Tensho, which was able to hit Gekisen in the back. However, she turned, her red eyes narrowing at him. He jumped up and joined Kusajishi on the roof.

_I'll have to do it, _Ichigo thought._ The final Getsuga Tensho. I'm not sure if it will work, but it should at least hold_ _her off until the rest get here._ He wasn't so happy with losing his powers once again, but to save his friends and defeat the enemy, he was more then willing to do so.

"Ichigo!" His eyes widened. He knew that voice. It was-

"Rukia?" he questioned the black haired Shinigami that stood maybe ten feet away from Yachiru Gekisen. She was covered in blood and was badly bruised up. However, she stood there with an urgent look on her face.

"Who are you?" Gekisen growled, but left no time for her to answer. She aimed a lighting bolt at the girl, who ran and dodged it.

"Ichigo, I know how to beat her!" Rukia shouted. Yachiru Kusajishi and Ichigo stared at her in shock, but Yachiru Gekisen's lip curled.

"Yeah, I bet." She shot some more lightning out of her palm, which Rukia dodged once again.

"Each of our enemies has a part of the Hogyoku!" Rukia cried out. Everyone froze.

"What?"

Yachiru Gekisen voiced what everyone was thinking. The Hogyoku? Wasn't that long gone?

So why would these people have it?

"I don't know how they got it, but I do know this," Yachiru Gekisen had stopped attacking Rukia, eyes widening at the prospect of her knowing their secret.

"If you find that part," Rukia continued, her eyes wide with excitement. "And take if off of them, they will have no more power!" Ichigo looked amused at such absurdity, but that quickly went away as he saw Yachiru Gekisen's change of face.

"How do you know?" she gritted her teeth. Ichigo's eyes widened.

"It's true?" Yachiru merely looked away.

_They know, Maru-dono. I'm sorry._

…

Well, the truth on their powers is out, but not their intent…

I bet y'all know who Maru-dono is…

I need a new word for lightning bolt. I overused that too much. -_- The ending didn't come out so well, oh well. I'm hurrying as fast as I can with this story.

And I'm totally ignoring the newest arc in Bleach, I find it a bit filler-ish, cause we all know Ichigo's gonna get his powers back. But I loved the latest chapter cause Riruka's pretty cute thinking Ichigo's a hottie. Now there are two girls after Ichigo, yet he's totally oblivious. I bet he's gay… :D

~~~EeLgIrL (^.^)


	11. This is Starting to Feel Like Déjà vu…

Breakdown of the Sphere

_I do not own Bleach._

Chapter 11: This is Starting to Feel Like Déjà vu…

…

"How do you know?" Yachiru repeated her question. She didn't make a move to attack, waiting for Rukia to answer instead.

Rukia did not attack either. Everyone waited in silence, with bated breath to hear what Rukia had to say.

"Hisana-san told me," she finally announced, holding her head haughtily at Yachiru. She growled.

"That bit- wait, what?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. Rukia inhaled.

"It started when I hit her part by accident…"

_Hisana lay on the floor, hit by her own attacks. She knew there were multiple stab wounds on her body, and most likely blood pouring from said spots. Groaning, she stood up rubbing her head. She had a massive headache too…_

_She picked herself up off the floor, and swiped her sword off the floor. Byakuya and Rukia heard the sound and turned. Byakuya's eyes widened and he gasped, and Rukia screamed._

"_What? You can't kill me that easily." Hisana growled. Her eyes were blurry with blood, and she could hardly make them both out, but she could see their reactions to her standing._

"_No-No-Y-You're…" Rukia stuttered. Hisana frowned as Rukia pointed a shaking hand to Hisana's head. Actually, more specifically, her right eye._

_Instinctively, her hand went up to that area. However, it met air. Her left eye widened as she realized her stormy blue eye was no longer there. Instead, the hollow steel holder that had held it in place was all her hand met. Whipping around, she saw it sitting on the floor behind her, no longer in the shape that it was before. _

'_Damn!' she thought. They couldn't have taken it out! She felt her body changing, and shuddered. That wasn't good! If she didn't have it, then…_

_Then… then…_

_Her head spun, and she felt her mind go dizzy. 'What was I doing?' she thought. 'Why am I fighting?' She couldn't think properly. The thought of growing stronger then Byakuya flickered, and her resolve faded. _

_She ran at Byakuya as her last attempt. However, no longer did she see the Shinigami that she was to beat, to prove to that she was strong enough to fight. She saw the man she fell in love with, the man who took her in when she had nowhere else to go. _

_Her sword stopped midair. Hachidori fell, along with her will to fight. She dropped to her knees. He looked at her confused._

_She felt her body relax, as if someone else had come and taken over. She didn't want to fight him anymore; in fact, she couldn't believe she had hurt him before. He was her love, her precious one. He had done so much for her. _

_She loved him._

"_Byakuya-sama," she whispered. She felt weak all over, but this was a good type of weak. It was the weakness of being in the presence of a lover._

_He stared stoically at her, but his eyes changed when he saw that she was in deed changed. He held out his hands. She took them. Love passed through this simple gesture, and tears fell from her eyes. _

"_Who are you?" the girl to his right asked. Hisana turned, and that was when she saw it. _

_She couldn't believe it. How did she not notice it before? The resemblance was uncanny._

"_You… found her?" Byakuya nodded, and Hisana gasped. Standing up, she felt her knees shake as she threw her arms around the now grown baby and sobbed. Rukia stood there, confused. Why did this one eyed former enemy just hug her? Rukia was on the verge of breaking apart from this woman when she said something that made Rukia freeze._

"_I'm sorry Rukia." Hisana whispered, and Rukia swore she knew that voice. It was the same one she heard when she was left at the doorstop of the greengrocer. The same one that haunted her all these years. _

_The pieces fell together. Everything made sense._

_Could it be, that this girl was…_

"_Are… you… my sister?" Rukia asked. Hisana nodded, and Rukia felt tears running down her face. Together, they stood there and cried, as Byakuya watched on. _

_None of them could explain this feeling, but it was if the weight of the world had been lifted from their shoulders. Realizing whom each other was, all animosity was gone, and replaced with undeniable love._

_Finally, Rukia separated herself from her long lost sister, wiping her tears from her eyes. _

"_Why were you fighting before?" she asked. Hisana gave a sad smile. She walked over to the piece that was formerly her eye and picked it up. _

"_This is a part of the Hogyoku," she responded. Both Shingami looked at her with shock and confusion._

"_When you defeated Aizen," she explained. "The Hogyoku found new owners. Like it was explained in the Soul Society, the Hogyoku was fully awakened, and in our hands, would serve as such a powerful weapon, one that would be impossible to beat."_

"_However," Hisana's face turned serious. "If this part was to be removed from the four of us, then our new said powers would disappear. It is the only way to defeat any of us." Turning to each other, Rukia and Byakuya passed a mutual agreement._

_This was the way to win. They would need to tell the others. _

…

"Traitor," Kana hissed the revolting word at Hisana. Hisana narrowed her eyes at her former ally. Byakuya supported her, helping her stand. Her hand was enclosed around the Hogyoku piece.

"They won against me," she replied calmly. "As the loser in our game, I have every right to tell them what I know." Kana growled.

"Who plays games fair anyway?" she cried out, shaking the four victims enclosed in her hair strands.

"You certainly don't," Hisana muttered, leaning on Byakuya more for support. After she had revealed herself to Byakuya and Rukia, and told them the truth of their powers, Rukia had wasted no time in running to tell Ichigo and company. She and Byakuya had walked a slower and steadier path to Kana, as both were weak from their fight.

When they had arrived, Kana had at first assumed the best, and thought Hisana was here to help her. Then she assumed the worst, which they had killed her and come after Kana. However, it wasn't until Hisana herself had told them of the Hogyoku that Kana had raged at them.

"Was it love?" Kana snarled, looking disapprovingly at Byakuya. "Rekindled your marriage?"

"No, it was the knowledge of right from wrong," Hisana replied. "We are wrong to attack them, and now I know it." Kana let out a disbelieving chuckle.

"So you've turned into a pansy now?" Kana giggled, but her laugh was far from funny. She looked disgusted at Hisana, which Hisana returned with a firm stare.

"So all we have to do is find her Hogyoku piece?" Hitsugaya asked, freeing one arm from the tight grip Kana had on him. He smirked at her, and she returned with a pout. "Sounds easy. Where is it?"

Everyone looked at Hisana, but she had frozen.

"Hisana?" Byakuya quietly asked. She smiled sadly and shook her head.

"We never told each other where we put our piece, in case of betrayal," she murmured. With this in mind, everyone turned to Kana.

Their eyes grew in shock, and they all gasped.

Kana now stood atop her mountain, her arms raised to the sky. A black circle had appeared from the top. Everyone watched as it grew bigger and bigger, and a mysterious substance dropped from above.

"What is this?" Hitsugaya squirmed in the grip she had on him, but she released all four of her victims. They hit the ground with a thud.

"No one has seen this, not even Maru-dono," Kana whispered, as thunder cracked above her. The substance was dark, and it engulfed her so that the onlookers could hardly see her.

"I need to restore peace. I need to keep him happy. I need to avenge her." Kana spoke in broken sentences, her eyes pleading with the sky. "Please, help me. I don't want any more unhappiness. Please." The sky seemed to respond in good response. Kana began to smile. She looked down at the Shinigami, her eyes turning red.

"Behold… my ultimate power," Eyes widening, everyone stared in shock as the black mist-like substance cleared, and a new being stood in front of them. It was shocking and disturbing, but most of all, it was frightening.

"Shoot 'Em Dead, Nagakir_u_tana."

…

They saw the black cloud of mist in the air, but no one moved to help the other fight. Instead, they all stared at the threat in front of them.

Yachiru had yet to move herself. She stood there, silent, perhaps pondering this change in the game. They had an upper hand, as they knew how to defeat her properly. However, they were also wary, in case she had something up her sleeve.

She kept turning her head to look at the unconscious Kenpachi on the floor. Ichigo took note of that, especially how she kept staring at his head.

No one moved. They stood in silence, the only sound the faint shouts of the other battle. Finally, Yachiru Kusajishi could take it no more. She jumped off the building, held her sword over her head, and swung down.

"Yachiru!" Ichigo screamed. But he had no need to worry for the young girls brash attack. She had successfully hit the enemy, who had blocked with just her arm. The sword had made a deep gash into the arm, but did not slice it clean. Gekisen flipped in mid air and landed in a catlike stance, her good arm bracing herself as she winced in pain from the cut.

Tearing a part of her dress, she wrapped it around her hurt arm. She then sheathed her sword, and held it in a defensive pose.

Ichigo ran at her from the front, while Rukia jumped at her from the back. She blocked Ichigo and pushed him back, then turned and clashed with Rukia. Rukia took a few steps back and held a battle stance.

"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" she shouted. At the same time, Ichigo swung his sword, and a black wave erupted from its tip. Yachiru didn't move. A clash of black and white hit her and she fell to the floor, groaning in pain.

_She wasn't this weak before!_ Ichigo thought, as he watched the older woman try to stand, but then collapsed. She tried again, and with shaking legs propped her self against a wall. She was huffing, sweat dripping from her face. There were bloodstains all over her, and her right hand hung limply at her side.

She pushed her bright green hair behind her shoulders, and holding her chin high, attempted to stand without the help of the wall. Ichigo and Rukia got into defensive pose, but it was not needed. Yachiru fell to the ground again, her legs giving way.

She lay there, obviously defeated. There was no point, because she would not be able stand.

_At least they won't find my piece._ she chuckled inwardly. However, she really felt horrible inside. In the process of protecting her Hogyoku piece, she had lost its full strength. She would most likely die here.

Was this how it would end? Would she die here, alone, with no way of fulfilling her promise to him? A tear rolled down her cheek. It wasn't fair.

_Yap! Yap!_

Another loud fox call rang in the air. Ichigo and Rukia looked up, their eyes wide. Before, when that had ringed, their enemies had grown stronger. Both backed away slowly, eyes intently watching the downed girl.

She heard it too. She knew whom it was from. He believed in her enough to allow her power, to allow her a fight for the finish. She couldn't fail him, she couldn't.

Roaring with rage, she stood. Her legs felt strength, and she no longer shook. Ichigo, Rukia and now the young pink haired girl backed away.

Each of them had a reason for fighting. Each of them had an inner desire, in which the Hogyoku fed on, giving them power based on that desire. Hers was always to feel needed.

Her parents didn't need her, casting her off into the Shinigami world while they pampered her sister.

Her fiancé didn't need her, always finding nicer, prettier girls to be with. This resulted in him leaving her, for a _human_, of all things.

Her squad didn't need her. Being one of the few girls in the 11th company was bad enough. They always underestimated her power. She was left with menial task, paperwork and small missions.

But then, after coming to the human world to seek revenge on her ex-fiancé, she met someone that did need her.

He did. Maru-dono did.

Despite the power of the Hogyoku wearing out, her desire stayed strong. Maru-dono had sought four girls, each with an ambition that drove them forward. She was one of those picked.

"What is going on?" Ichigo's eyes widened. She was still weak looking, but was giving off tons of reiatsu. His legs went weak under all the pressure. Rukia had given in already.

"I… need… to… feel… useful," she murmured. She picked up her sword and held it at her front, her eyes facing downward and her bangs covering them. Roaring with rage, her appearance began to change once again.

The dust cleared, and Ichigo's eyes narrowed. He regained his stance and held a battle position.

"This is starting to feel like a real bad case of déjà vu," he muttered.

…

CONTINUE READING FOR AN OMAKE!

Sorry for the late update.

Their powers are interesting, aren't they?

No school today for me, so I'll write more! : D

~~~EeLgIrL (^.^)

…

"This is starting to feel like a real bad case of déjà vu," he muttered.

She smirked, and ran at him with her sword to her side. He prepared to block, but then a thought hit him like a thousand bricks.

Oh wait, that happened too.

Groaning, he stepped out of the big pile of bricks that he crashed into when he dodged Yachiru. She looked at him, confused.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. He shook out his head and looked at her with a just as confused look.

"Why are we fighting again?" Ichigo questioned. Yachiru brightened up considerably, but then her face fell.

"Uh… I actually don't know," she said slowly. He looked at her even more confused.

"Wait, what?" Everyone had turned to Yachiru now, as she scratched her head in utter confusion.

"Well, the author hasn't exactly come up with a reason yet," she explained. "She just organized all the fights perfectly, but then realized they were just fights." Ichigo looked stunned, but then became angry.

"So all this time, you've been leading us onto nothing?" he yelled, while Yachiru let out a nervous chuckle.

"Hey, I just do what she tells me too do," Yachiru grinned. "Cause if I don't, I don't get paid." Ichigo nodded understandingly, and both stood there to ponder this newest piece of information.

"don't worry, she will soon, but it'll probably be some lame plot idea," Yachiru smiled, and got back into a battle position. Ichigo followed suit, but then he had another striking thought.

"You get paid?" Yachiru looked stunned.

"You don't?" she asked, her eyes wide with amazement. Ichigo huffed.

"KUBO!"

…

Hehe, I'll come up with a reason soon…

And no, I don't pay them. I just needed a reason to make this funnier.

I epic-fail at humor. Scratch that, I epic-fail at writing.


	12. Will This Never End?

Breakdown of the Sphere

_I do not own Bleach._

Chapter 12: Will This Never End?

…

"AHHHHHHH!"

Ichigo watched with wide-eyes as Yachiru pushed the small pink-haired girl out of the way. She flew in the air and crashed into the wall behind her, wincing in pain.

Rukia swung her sword at Yachiru's feet, the long ribbon trailing around the taller woman. Yachiru jumped up, and stomped onto Rukia's head, crushing it to the ground.

"Smart idea, attacking my weak point," Yachiru chuckled. Rukia groaned as she rose, her face blooded and bruised. Yachiru grabbed her and pushed her into a wall.

"But I'm not weak anymore," she hissed. Rukia cried out in pain, but held her sword par to Yachiru's neck and went for the swing. Yachiru smirked and held it back with just her hand.

"Don't try." Yachiru grasped Rukia's neck and lifted her into the air. Rukia pulled at Yachiru's fingers, but she merely laughed and swung Rukia behind her. She went flying, but was caught by Ichigo who put her down carefully. His eyes narrowed at the enemy.

"Finally gonna join the fight." Yachiru swung her sword in a circle around her finger, and then held it parallel to the ground at arms length. Ichigo's zanpakuto was out in front of him, in a defensive pose.

Both of them took off at the same time, their swords clashing against each other's. Metal grinded metal, and they both fell back. Yachiru's previously injured hand was healed, and braced her as the other held her zanpakuto out in front of her.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

This time it was not a scream of pain. Yachiru Kusajishi flew from Yachiru Gekisen's back in rage, her sword Kendo style. There was blood trickling down her face, but determination was clear. The green haired woman smirked, and she threw her arm back to block. However, at the same time Ichigo flew forward, and Yachiru was forced to push herself back. She skidded on her side for a few feet, wincing as her arm was scraped.

Rukia struggled back to her feet. Her blooded face was fierce as she held a battle pose. "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" she yelled, as her sword glowed and transformed into the most beautiful zanpakuto that it was known for.

"Juhaku!" Rukia stabbed the ground, and ice traveled in a line straight at Yachiru, engulfing her. However, Yachiru grinned inside her icy prison and a fire looking substance covered her from the inside. It crashed the ice open. Yachiru jumped up and sent an electric bolt at Rukia, who jumped away when it hit the wall.

Yachiru took in a giant breath, and released it into a roar. However, this was no ordinary scream. A wind current erupted from her mouth, and was strong enough to pick up all the Shinigami and send them flying in opposite directions.

Groaning, Ichigo stumbled to his feet. Looking around, he saw that both Yachiru and Rukia were out. Now, it was only he against this strong girl.

She was indeed strong. He was still unsure of what her powers were. He had thought it was lightning based, but after the last few attacks he wasn't sure if that was it. It looked as if it could control any of the elements and use them to repel the enemy's attack. This didn't make Ichigo feel any better.

He watched her closely. She was pacing, her head in her hands. She was fighting at the same strength as before, but now it didn't come as easily. It was as if… as if she had to force herself to fight. She also kept glancing over at the now conscious but barely moving Kenpachi.

_Her attitude was strange_, Ichigo thought. Shaking his head, he swung his sword and a black wave formed. It soared through the sky at Yachiru. However, she began to glow, and the wave was retracted. Ichigo barely could avoid it.

She was really strong, and possibly unable to be defeated. He didn't want to give up, but soon it would look like he had no choice.

And he hadn't even found her Hogyoku piece. _Way to go, Ichigo_.

_Ding! Ding! Ding!_

Ichigo turned to the sound, and his eyes widened. Kenpachi had risen. Despite a dazed look upon his face, he was smiling maniacally, as usual, and looked happy to go up against such a strong enemy. Ichigo doubted that he would be able to beat her, especially in the state he was in. Heck, he wasn't even walking straight; instead, was moving in a zigzag line as if he were drunk. Ichigo was about to help when…

_Ding! Ding! Ding!_

That sound. It was the chimes of Kenpachi's bell ornaments. Ichigo had grown very familiar to the sound, as he learned to run when he heard it.

_Ding! Ding! Ding!_

Normally, Ichigo wouldn't give a care about it, but it was wrong. It _sounded_ wrong.

Wait, what?

He thought it sounded wrong? What was wrong with him? How could anything be wrong with the way bells rang?

_Ding! Ding! Ding!_

Ichigo closed his eyes and concentrated. This was stupid. There was nothing wrong with Kenpachi's bells. He was just feeling the stress of battle. But yet he held still, listening.

_Ding! Ding! Ding!_

Why would he care about how bells sounded? Bells could change. Damn, this was stupid. There was nothing wrong, he was just going crazy with the fight.

_Ding! Ding! Ding!_

Ichigo opened his eyes. There _was_ something wrong. That wasn't the total amount of bells ringing. There were eleven spikes, but only ten rang.

Wait what?

It was a crazy thought. How could someone count the amount of bells rung? How could he notice one bell not ringing? Shaking his head in utter disbelief at his stupidity, he started to stand.

_Ding! Ding! Ding!_

It was there again! He couldn't stop thinking about it. It bothered him like crazy. Sitting back down, he huffed and continued to stare at Yachiru and Kenpachi's fight. More specifically, Kenpachi and his stupid hair bells.

He froze.

Kenpachi was blocking Yachiru, which gave Ichigo a clear view of the top of his head. The bells were rusted with blood, and had little shine to them. However, the third to last one on the left was different. It shone brightly in the dark sky.

Ichigo stood and leaned closer. It couldn't be! His eyes widened.

The rest were a murky gold color, yet…

That bell was blue.

_"Don't worry, little boy," she murmured, "All I wanted to do was touch your hair." She ran her hand up one silky hair spike, ending with a small jingle of the bell._

Ichigo thought back to that moment. Which hair spike was it? Closing his eyes, he focused back to that moment.

His eyes snapped open.

_Her hand ran up from right near Kenpachi's ear, as she leaned and whispered into Kenpachi's ear, it reached to the top the third hair spike. It made a sound as Yachiru… enclosed… her hand around it… _

He took off running. Kenpachi turned to protest he needed no help, but was surprised at the intended target instead.

"I-Ichigo?" he questioned. The boy in question showed no emotion as he skidded to a semi halt in front of the Captain and swung upward.

…

Hitsugaya flew in the air, landing at the top of the warehouse where he first saw Kana standing at. Surveying the area, he was dismayed that none of the others were as safe as he was.

Matsumoto and Orihime were in at a curb, Matsumoto feverishly tending to her many wounds. Ishida tried to defend them, but his Seele Schneider was the only of his weapons that was any help against this new Kana. He was hit all over, and could barely stand.

Hisana was defending herself with her now useless zanpakuto. After she had lost the power of the Hogyoku, her Shinigami powers were void. She did not originally have them, learning them using the spiritual power given by the Hogyoku. The training proved useful because she was able to help herself, but was still having trouble. She was at a big disadvantage with no initial power.

Isshin and Byakuya stood side by side, their swords out as they swung at all the hair strands that aimed for them. Isshin let out a Getsuga Tensho that was easily blocked by Kana.

Hitsugaya looked up at Kana. She had changed completely. This was a frightening form of her, and Hitsugaya had no idea if they would be able to beat it.

She had merged with the mountain that she sat upon, her body growing within it. Her eyes were pure white, and her skin was a heavily contrasting black. Her hair had grown and possibly multiplied, as there were many more strands to dodge. She no longer had the baggy nightgown on. In fact, Hitsugaya wasn't sure if she had any clothes on, as everything was black.

This form was a fusion of both her previous forms. Her hair was used as a weapon, more like tentacles that acted like rope with sharp ends. Her sword had merged with her hands, and both could shoot out the fingers to act like spears. The wristband with spikes was shown in this form as well, and was like the hair, extending and retracting at Kana's will.

This entire form was frightening, disturbing, and a little disgusting in Hitsugaya's mind.

One of the hair strands came straight at him, and he jumped out of the way as it crashed in the spot he was just standing in. He jumped off the building, his sword out as he swung his crescent blade at her. She grabbed it with little ease, but he pulled, leaving a wide gash on her hand. Falling, he landed on the ground next to Isshin, who gave him a grin as he unleashed a Getsuga Tensho.

"Can you use your Hyoten Hyakkaso attack again?" the older man asked as the black wave made contact with her chest. A liquid, maybe blood, flowed from the cut, but only in a slight trickle. It stopped when the wound covered itself up.

"Unfortunately, no." Hitsugaya replied to Isshin's question. "She's too big now." Isshin grinned even wider.

"Too you, she is." With a smirk, Isshin took off before Hitsugaya could reprimand him. He took two deep breaths and focused on the problem ahead of him.

Finding her Hogyoku piece.

That was supposed to be the simplistic way to beat her, yet it was taking way to long. He figured that he was the only one out of the group that remembered, with everyone else too busy trying to survive.

"Try the wristband!" Someone screamed out. Or not. The former enemy herself gave him this perhaps useful tip. Hitsugaya took off, dodging the weaving tips that had extended from the wristband. He extended his crescent blade, wrapped the chain around all the long ropes, and gave a giant tug. They all cut and fell to the ground. Hitsugaya wasted no time in cutting off the remainder of the wristband, swinging his long sword Kendo style down so that the band snapped off.

"Raaaahhhgggghhhh!" Kana screamed. Clutching her wrist, her hair went wild as she swung her head in pain.

Despite this obvious gain in the game, this was not the Hogyoku piece. She retained her form, and if possible, was even more angered.

"Bankai, Daiguren Hyorinmaru!" he shouted. The sky darkened even more, and Kana was indistinguishable against the black sky. This was perfect.

"Cover me," he whispered to the other Shinigami on the ground. Isshin and Hisana looked confused but followed as Byakuya and Matsumoto took off to the air. Ishida stayed with the healing Orihime to protect her.

The four fighters stood in the four directions apposing Kana. Together, they let out a collective attack.

"Growl, Haineko!" An angered Matsumoto concentrated all the ash around Kana's body, taking revenge on what she made her do to her friend Orihime.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura," A swirl of cherry blossoms was pointed at her direction, each deadly enough to go for the kill.

"Getsuga Tensho!" Black wave after wave shot forward at the monster.

On the ground, Hisana powered up a Shunko, a tired but determined look upon her face. She was weakening due to lack of spiritual pressure, but was determined to bring her former ally to justice. The Shunko flickered, but shot out at Kana's feet.

All the attacks hit at the same time. Kana howled out in rage, and the ground trembled. However, Kana stood straight, her arms wrapped around her head. Red blood poured from the pitch-black skin, but she continued to stand there.

"Did you really think you could beat me?" she giggled, despite her hurt state. "That was weak compared to what I've face before." She swung her hair around, pushing all four of them into different areas.

At the same time, pillars of ice formed around her body, glowing brightly against the dark site. They crashed into Kana's body. She let out another scream as they enclosed her in a stronger ice cage, her scream cut off as they completed around her body.

"Thanks," Hitsugaya landed on the ground, his Bankai crashing away as his time limit was up. The rest of the Shinigami got up, groaning.

_Yap! Yap!_

"Goddamnit!" Hitsugaya yelled out. Everyone looked wide-eyed at him, but they were feeling the same.

They had heard the fox call twice. In both instances, the enemies had grown stronger.

"Can they give us a break?" Matsumoto hissed, but that went unheard. The ice crashed, and everyone ran to dodge the falling pieces.

"Sorry, we can't," her deep voice was what they heard first. Then the eggshell white eyes opened against the black sky.

"Cause we're too powerful for you~" she lilted, and once again the onslaught of attacks came, perhaps more stronger then before.

Hitsugaya dodged a hair strand. Everyone was tired, hurt and overall incapable in fighting anymore. Yet the enemy stood, stronger then ever.

Will this never end?

…

"What the hell Ichigo?" Kenpachi asked, as he blocked yet another Getsuga Tensho. He liked fighting yes, but this was getting ridiculous.

At the same time, Kana released a fusion of fire and water at the two. She had an elemental-based zanpakuto, but with no specific element. Instead, she could control them all, as the demon could. It was frightening, and definitely not helping in the situation.

Pulling both him and Ichigo out of the way, Kenpachi fell to the ground with a loud thud. Ichigo took advantage of this and swung his sword down. However, Kenpachi blocked with his fist. Blood began to pour from the point of contact, but he pushed Ichigo back.

"If ya really wanted to fight," Kenpachi started, but Ichigo swung a Getsuga Tensho at his hair. It missed the intended spot by a few inches.

"Ichigo, I'm not ready to go bald!" he growled. Ichigo stiffened as the Captain came charging at him. He really didn't want to fight the monster, but he couldn't let the enemy know that he knew what she wanted hidden.

"Stop fighting! Fight me!" Yachiru Gekisen ran at them both. Ichigo saw two monsters charging at him. _Great, my day's just getting better now…_

He jumped and they crashed. Metal clanged and two zanpakuto fought. Ichigo joined the fray, and it was a bloodthirsty battle to beat the others.

"Stop! Everyone!" They froze and turned to the voice. It was Rukia, but eyes averted to Yachiru next to her. In her hands she held a round object. Yachiru Gekisen's eyes widened and her hands went to her pocket.

_Damn! It fell!_ Yachiru gaze went straight to Kenpachi's hair. A small pink blur passed by her sight. The bell that had hung from the third spike was gone. Yachiru saw it on the ground, and it flashed.

It was the shape of a cut sphere, one forth to be precise.

Kenpachi stood there, eyes wide. Watching the young girl speed straight at him with her sword out was scary, but now knowing why made him let out a sigh of relief. Turning to Ichigo, he grinned to see the male back off from the Captain. He wouldn't let the kid forget this fight; maybe then they could have a rematch. But first, to defeat the current enemy…

Gekisen fell to the ground, next to her piece, and slowly cupped it into her hands. Everyone watched in silence as she held it into the dim light, where it flashed again.

"What are you guys still doing here?" Their eyes furrowed in confusion. The girl on the floor turned to them.

"Don't you want to help fight against the other remaining enemy?" she asked. Ichigo stepped forward.

"B-But our fight…" he stuttered. Kenpachi nodded in agreement, taking a step forward. Yachiru cut him off.

"It is over. You have won this game. Perhaps you need to help the others." She murmured. Kenpachi growled and shook his head.

"This is stupid, we need to fig-"

"Go."

Her voice was soft, but firm. The Shinigami gave her a long stare, but turned on their heels and ran to the site of the other battle. They sensed she needed time alone. They also knew the severity of the other fight. Hearing the battle cries didn't sound so good.

Yachiru did not follow. Instead, she sank down to the curb, sighing. She leaned against a lamppost and tears unconsciously began falling from her face.

This wasn't supposed to end like this. She was supposed to win.

They _needed_ her to win. Maru-dono. Aoitsu. Kana. Hisana. They counted on her.

She failed them.

She failed herself. She has been failing at all her task, ever since so long ago…

_Yachiru walked down the hallway, and everyone cowered from her presence. Usually, they would bow their heads low until she passed, but today they plainly stood out of her destructive path._

_She fumed as she stomped her way to her office. How dare he! She just received word that her fiancé, Isshin Kurosaki, had run away from the Soul Society, following the path of the traitors from 70 years prior. The Soul Society still had not found replacements for the hollowfied shinigami, and now another one had left. _

_They blamed her, asking why she couldn't keep a firmer hand on the captain._

"_Heh, it's idiotic that Isshin left you right?" Yachiru groaned softly at the playful voice above. There sat Kana Tamasa, her hair covering all but her malicious smile. _

"_Don't you hate it too, seeing as he was your captain?" Kana's smile dropped. Jumping, she landed in a flurry of robes and hair in front of Yachiru. _

"_I don't care, cause I'm Captain now," Standing, Kana resumed her grin, but in a more suspicious way. _

"_Hello Kana-sama, Nezumi-sama." Yachiru flinched. She hated when they called her by her pseudonym. Granted, she had given that name when she applied to the Shino Academy. However, she liked to hear her real name from time to time, despite the shame it would bring._

_Turning, she saw the petite Hisana Kuchiki, wife of the famed Byakuya Kuchiki. The usually present soft smile was there._

"_Hisana, you don't need to call me that. No one is around," Yachiru smiled at smaller woman. The females from the five noble houses were the only ones who knew Yachiru's true identity. _

_The Shihoin, Kuchiki, Kurosaki, Shiba and Tamasa. The Five Noble Families, the most distinguished of Soul Society. Nezumi Uwaki, the adopted daughter of the Tamasa's was to bond the Kurosaki's and Tamasa's together. Too bad the groom ran from the altar._

_Of course, no one would blame him. They turned the complaints to Yachiru, shaking their heads at her inability to keep a marriage afloat. _

'_Cough, Cough!' Hisana fell to the ground. Yachiru sighed. Hisana had turned very sickly a few months ago, but no one knew why or how. They were still looking for the cause._

"_Hisana, go in and rest," she insisted. Hisana turned to protest, but Kana took her swiftly away. Yachiru entered the now empty office, and sat down with a huff._

_She supposes they were right. She didn't know how to please a man, preferring to fight them. Isshin was no different. No matter how much he romanced her, she brushed him off indifferently, afraid of doing something wrong._

_He didn't need her she supposed. No one ever did. That was why the Tamasa's were marrying her off as fast as they could, get rid of the burden they unconsciously took in. Isshin was just going to marry her because he was told too. He would always have pretty girls to keep him company, ones that definitely knew how to entice the male population._

_She looked on her desk, and groaned at the large stack of paperwork. Kenpachi Kiganjo had left all the paperwork to her. She didn't mind, but the fact that he wouldn't let her out of the office and out to the battlefield nerved her. In fact, the last mission she took was a couple of years back. She knew Kiganjo was just waiting for her to quit. He never liked the fact that he had to have a female lieutenant, as it has been for thousands of years. Therefore, he went through them like Yachiru went through pens to sign. _

"_Uwaki-sama!" _

_Looking at the door, the only other female in 11__th__ stood there, a panicked look on her face. Kannichi Aoitsu was the only one that paid attention to Yachiru. While the men called her useless, Kannichi looked up to the vice captain, to a point that annoyed even Yachiru._

"_AAoItsuuu," Yachiru drawled, looking back at her papers. "I will not fight yo-"_

"_It's Hisana Kuchiki-sama." Her eyes snapped up. "She's dying."_

…

_It was raining. Perfect weather for a funeral, Yachiru thought. If only it wasn't Hisana's. _

_Yachiru and Kana walked away from the Kuchiki estate. Seeing Byakuya's sad face was painful for them. It was a sad day for them all. Despite being a commoner, she had charmed most of the noble houses with her graceful appearance and kind but dignified actions. _

_Walking down the path, Yachiru and Kana remained in silence, thinking of the small smiling girl that was forever in their hearts._

"… _so that's why we had to kill her!" Eyes widening, both girls looked at each other and then where the voices came from._

"_Awww… Aizen, it ain't so kind ta kill." They snuck up to the open door, and looking inside, saw the newly promoted Captain Sosuke Aizen and his Vice Gin Ichimaru. Kana's eyes widened. Gin and her had grown close, but here he was talking about killing someone._

"_She was getting too close to finding out-"_

"_She just over'eard us talkin'!" _

"_About the plan! It was too close! Come on, I need you to inject the third seat of 11__th__ company, she saw the blueprints and was going to tell her Captain!" Yachiru's eyes widened. 'That's… Aoitsu!'_

"_Can't we use Kyoka Suigetsuuuu…"_

"_Wait." _

_Kana and Yachiru held shuffling, and then the door was pulled wide open. They fell into the room, and looked up to see the 5__th__ company's' higher ups looking down._

"_Kana-chan?" Gin's shocked voice rang clear even though his face betrayed no emotion. Yachiru jumped up into a defensive pose. _

"_Wait until the Captain-Commander hears this!" she growled, and backed away slowly. "Two captain class shinigami betraying the Soul Society, they won't give you an easy punishment!" Turning, she ran into Captain Aizen, who smirked down at her. _

"_You mean me?" he breathed softly. Yachiru began to scream, but Aizen put his hand over her mouth and she began to feel dizzy and faint. She felt a sharp jab to her back, and before she completely blacked out, she saw the smiling faces of the two traitors._

…

_Yachiru sat up with a gasp. She looked around to see her sitting on a bed. Confused, she realized her hands were shackled in._

"_Hey!" she yelled, "Anyone out there?" A voice chuckled, and in the shadows a person shifted._

"_You finally woke up," the light switched on and Yachiru was momentarily blinded. When she regains consciousness, she saw herself in a gray room with no way out. _

"_Calm down!" the voice continued as Yachiru jerked around, trying to get free. She stopped, and turned to see Gin Ichimaru._

"_You jerk!" she screamed. "You betrayed the Soul Society! You betrayed Kana! You killed… me…" her voice trailed off, looking down at her in confusion._

"_He didn't," a new voice quietly said. Yachiru looked up with wide eyes to see Hisana and Aoitsu walk in. _

"_W-Wha-" she sputtered. All three of them took a step closer._

"_So, ya 'eard how me and Aizen was plannin' ta betray Soul Society," Gin started, and Yachiru nodded furiously, wondering where this was going._

"_Well, I'm plannin' ta betray Aizen," he continued, but Yachiru cut him off._

"_Bullsh-!" she cried out, but Hisana put her hands over Yachiru's mouth._

"_Listen," her firm voice stunned Yachiru that she silenced herself._

"_Actually, that's all," he grinned, and Hisana and Aoitsu looked in confusion. He shunpoed to there sides and knocked them out. They fell to the ground, but he picked them up and laid them on beds adjacent to Yachiru's. Looking around, she saw another bed, holding Kana. _

"_What the hell?" she yelled. Gin continued to smile as he went up closer to Yachiru. _

"_Unfortunately, that's all ya have ta here right now," he smirked, and put his hand to her forehead. She began to feel dizzy again._

"_I really hate-"_

…

"…_You."_

_The first words that came from her mouth were the continuation of her sentences almost 20 years back. He continued to grin as he unshackled her. Next to her, she saw the rest of the girls getting up with dazed looks after their 20-year slumber._

"_I know, I know," he answered to her statement. The final cuff snapped, and she rubbed at her raw wrist. _

"_So? Are you gonna explain more?" she continued, but he didn't answer. _

"_Well?" she demanded. He turned to them._

"_I'm dead." Their eyes widened. "Aizen killed me, so the plan I had went array,"_

"_But-" he cut off their incoming protest, "I have this." He held a small glowing sphere. The four girls gasped at the looks of the famed Hogyoku._

"_I'm gonna give ya all a piece," he smiled, and they looked surprisingly at him. "It's too stron' for one person ta have, and y'all… fit require'ents ta take them pieces." They looked at him in confusion, but he smiled. _

"_We have a year ta prepare for the ultimate battle," the Hogyoku split, and each girl took one part in their hands. It felt warm to Yachiru._

"_But what for?" Kana's voice sounded scratchy after 20 years. _

_Gin chuckled. "Deep in yur 'eart, ya'll know the reason."_

…

WoW. You've got to love Yachiru. This is a chapter primarily on her. Obviously. The title might be a Hitsugaya quote, but think of what it has to do with Yachiru…

(Actually, I only used it cause I wanted a question for a title…)

I loved her backstory so much. I don't want my characters to be all-powerful, so I try to think up sad reasons to their actions.

Hypocritically, I made Kana stronger. Again. I didn't want too, but I had typed that part there and decided it sounded nice.

Hmm… What did Gin mean by that? Back in chappie 2 is the reason, but don't worry, it will come again soon…

Three more chapters to go! I'm sort of happy; just cause then I can start another one. I don't wanna leave this one hanging, that's all.

Oz yeah, Kana's form is based on Riful from Claymore.

Review please!

~~~EeLgIrL (^.^)


	13. Haven't Seen That Smile For a While

Breakdown of the Sphere

_I do not own Bleach._

Chapter 13: Haven't Seen That Smile For A While

…

Maru-dono stared at the screen with wide eyes. This couldn't be! Kannichi was long gone, Hisana converted, and now Yachiru lost the will to fight?

The man smashed the three defeated screens. His bloody hand hurt like hell, but he couldn't care less. This was all going wrong.

Yes, the Soul Society would take back the Hogyoku, and then destroy it. But there was no doubt they would do the same to the girls. Slaughter them, murder them, and make sure such super weapons never exist ever again.

He never was one for commitment to anyone, but over the year of training, prepping, and living with these girls, they became his friends, his family. He never was this close with anyone before, not Kira, not Aizen, not even Matsumoto.

Too put it simple, he loved them. To watch them die was… like watching a child of his die. All they wanted was to be reborn, to live again.

All _he_ wanted. For both them and himself.

Looking at the smashed screens, mental images ran through his mind. Kannichi. Hisana. Yachiru. Kana. They were four girls, bonded by one stupid sphere and the mindset of aiding their master in taking down the Soul Society for solvency to their problems, for a peaceful resting. That wasn't the truth. They deserved to know the truth.

He knew what was to be done. He had to go stop the Soul Society, giving up his identity but perhaps saving his sisters. His sisters took precedent over anything, and he would do what it took to save them.

Reaching for his coat, he stopped when a slight sound rang from behind him.

"I should have known you were behind all this." The silky voice erupted from behind him, and he swiveled to see a cat there.

"Yoruichi Shihoin," he smirked down at her. His usual fox face was shown across his face, void of emotion.

"Nice too see you too." She returned his grin. "Now, come take a walk with me. We have a lot to talk about."

…

"Well? Any of you pretty boys got a plan?"

Hitsugaya growled at the former captain of 10th petty comment. Despite being the precedent, Hitsugaya had lost all respect after actually meeting the guy. Isshin Kurosaki did have a point though. They were at a standstill against Kana.

"Kuchiki, now would be a nice time for a Senbonzakura attack," Hitsugaya hissed as he jumped around to avoid the onslaught of hair threads. Byakuya did not respond, focusing primarily on avoiding the attacks.

"Yeah Bya-boy, now would be a great time," Isshin teased. Byakuya landed on a clear spot and hacked at a swinging hair strand.

"Not enough room," he finally responded. "And too dangerous, you guys could be swept up. My zanpakuto abilities are better in open fields and one on one attack." Hitsugaya scoffed.

"I wonder how much fighting ability you actually have," he muttered, shaking his head as he jumped into flight with his own bankai. Standing midair, he analyzed the enemy in front of him. So far, all his majorly damaging techniques were futile. She broke out of Ryusenka, Sennen Hyoro, even Hyoten Hyakkaso. She blocked Guncho Tsurara and Hyoryu Senbi. He was running out of things to do, and she didn't even have a scratch on her.

"Bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi! Shukei Hakuteiken!"

Byakuya flew up next to Hitsugaya. His normally calm demeanor was filled with a rage, and he flew at Kana, the force of his flight blowing Hitsugaya back. Hitsugaya landed on the ground next to Isshin.

"What's up with that?" he questioned, and Isshin chuckled.

"Competitive spirit, Bya can get angry at verbal attacks at his zanpakuto abilities," Hitsugaya nodded, understanding. Despite the coolness, Byakuya was known for his recklessness at times when challenged.

Byakuya focused the shards into a single, giant blade, and shot it through her hair. Everyone groaned as it missed her head, merely taking off strands of her hair. Kana stumbled forward, her hands holding at the cut. She roared and threw her head all over. Everyone leaped around to avoid the new entourage of attacks.

Hitsugaya groaned. Nothing was working. She was stronger then everything, anything he had ever faced. They would need the whole of Soul Society to take care of this enemy, but they didn't _have_ the whole Soul Society.

They were screwed.

"Don't overthink it. Remember, everyone has a weak point," a voice murmured from his behind. He shivered and turned to see a downed Hisana. She was missing an eye, but the other was crystal clear and smiling up at him.

"She doesn't," he responded, but she continued to grin. Sensing no other words coming from her, he continued to focus on Kana.

_What could her weak point be? …_ Hitsugaya's brow furrowed. She didn't have one. That was what it was.

Looking back down at Hisana, she didn't say anything else. He flew to her side, holding a finger to her neck. Hopefully she wasn't dead…

Sighing in relief at the steady beat, he watched the former enemy breath in and out, softly. She looked like an angel. The only thing that marred this perfect image was her missing eye, replaced with the hollow area that once held her Hogyoku piece.

Hogyoku piece-!

Averting his eyes back to Kana, he mentally cursed himself for forgetting their original reason for attack. If they found that piece, then she would be defeated.

What was it? What was it? He scanned her body, but nothing odd stood out to him. That would make it harder, but he didn't care. A glimmer of hope had come for them.

But such glimmer of hope was useless if he didn't find that Hogyoku piece.

"It is the thing we love most," The soft voice spoke up again, and he saw the Kuchiki lady floating in-between unconsciousness and consciousness.

"I… I always found the things I looked at pleasing," she continued. "Cherry blossoms… koi ponds…. Byakuya…" she trailed off in serenity before turning her head slowly too face the young Captain.

"Aoi-kun's necklace was a gift from someone close to her, so she placed her Hogyoku power in it," she smiled at him. "Yachi, she… she never loved anything. Her pieces location was constantly changing. Depended on her tone, she would change the form to match it."

"So then," she concluded, "What has Kana demonstrated to love?" Hitsugaya had no need to answer, he knew.

"So… her hair is…!" she nodded.

"Like how I protected my eye," Hisana coughed once but continued, "And Kannichi guarded her necklace, to Kana, her hair was the thing she loves most. I always thought she was merely self-centered, but I wonder…" she trailed off as Hitsugaya took off.

He would have to use his bankai, which would give him a time limit, but he had no choice. He couldn't tell the others, because it would be harder to complete. This was their only chance.

_I'll keep it simple_, he decided. Too much power would make her suspicious. Dodging the many hair threads thrashing around, he winced as it hit one of his life flowers, but continued on.

He swung the chain, and the crescent blade cut at the hair around her supposed shoulder. She screamed and turned, but this gave him a bigger advantage to hack more off the left side.

Two petals melted away, and Hitsugaya sped faster. Closing his eyes, he swung again a moment early, and it hit a greater amount. The time distortion couldn't affect him if he wasn't even looking.

The hair on her left side was bare, but she was thrashing crazier. He would have to be more careful to defeat her.

She crashed his other full flower. He now had only two petals left. Unnerved, he cut more strands. Hacking away at as many as he could, he saw that most of it was cut off.

Unfortunately, Kana herself now knew what was going on. Screaming in rage, she focused her attack strictly at Hitsugaya. The remaining hair tentacles whipped around Hitsugaya. He dodged as many as he could.

A petal melted. He was running out of time, but still had half a head to cut. Taking a breath, he decided to use his ultimate weapon. He hoped it would work.

"Hey."

Kana's head turned. Hitsugaya stood there, his eyes glassed over. He was not moving, as if he were frozen in mid air.

Sensing a trap, Kana paused before sending a hair to get him. He dodged. She tried again, but he just dodged.

Kana's eyes narrowed. What was this? He teased her before by bringing full power out, but now wasn't attacking back! With a rush of anger, she sent every last bit of her hair flying at Hitsugaya. He was unable to block it all, and with a crash he exploded in a mixture of blood and ice.

_Ice?_

"Hey there."

A blur flew right by. Kana's hair, which was still midair after the attack, was snipped. Hitsugaya flew out of the flurry of hair falling. His last petal melted, and he fell to the ground. However, at the same time, Kana let out a giant scream of pain.

Kana couldn't believe what was happening. When the others lost their part, they had not felt hurt because they were not as attached to it. She, she had freaking _fused_ her part with her pride and joy, her hair. It would be a sign, a sign that she would rather die then lose it, die then admit defeat.

Yet here she was, alive and defeated. And her whole body writhed in pain.

She flashed back into her smaller form. The pain subsided, but her hurt didn't. Crouching to the floor, she refused to pick her head up to look at others.

"Hurrah, little Captain!" she heard her former captain shout, and she loathed it. They were enunciating the point even more now. Picking her head up a little, he saw the Shinigami, humans, and Hisana crouched around the small captain, cheering on his bravery and outstanding fighting prowess.

He had united them. There was no more fighting, only cheer. She watched with wide eyes at all the happiness.

She had always been a child of the darkness. The light blinded her, was her enemy. Yet, she wanted to bask in the light. Live in the happiness.

Her friends, her family, everyone around her fought, argued, killed with no regret. She never experienced anything delightful. Killing was not delightful. Arguments were not delightful. Betrayal, hurt and pain was not happy.

But as she watched the shinigami cheer at their win, she felt a tug at her iron heart. Was this what happiness looked like?

"Hey you guys!" The human shinigami, along with the 11th captain, lieutenant, and some other shinigami ran up. Isshin Kurosaki looked at them with mock dignity.

"Where have you been?" he asked with a haughty voice. "We finished this battle without yo-"

A shoe connected with his face, and Isshin went down in a single stroke.

"Hollow trouble," Ichigo muttered. The new shinigami entered the fray. Everyone was jubilant for the end of a long battle.

Silence suddenly fell in the air. Kana saw Yachiru walk up behind them. Hisana's head fell down, and Kana felt more ashamed in the presence of her superior. Yachiru stared at the scene for a while, and then held her hand out to reveal her Hogyoku piece.

"I surrender." Those three words brought smiles to the shinigami's faces. Hisana ran up and dropped her piece alongside Yachiru.

"Kana-sama?" Hisana held her hand out to Kana. The smile, so soft and pure. She had not seen it for a long time.

It was over. It was really over. Surrender, or die. Surrender, and die. She had no choice.

As her resolve finally broke, the pile of cut hair flashed. All that remained was a single piece of a ball. The third half. Byakuya threw it to Yachiru, who caught it in a blood soaked hand.

"Hey guys!" Everyone turned to the sound of the voice, eyes widening. It was Chad, and he ran toward them. In his arms was Kannichi Aoitsu, and by the looks of it, she was close to death.

He laid her down against a rock, and her head rolled to the side. She had many bruises over her, and blood was openly pouring from a wound on her shoulder. Everyone winced at the sight of her.

"Can… you heal her?" Chad choked out. The other humans gaped at this emotional Chad. This was a side they never saw of him.

"Did you pick up anything on the battle site?" Yachiru asked. Chad nodded and held out a small blue ball. It flashed and turned into the last piece of the Hogyoku.

"Hisana." Yachiru ordered. Hisana shook her head as she examined Kannichi.

"She's fine," she announced, standing up. Happy tears fell from Kana's eyes, and everyone else sighed in relief at Hisana's words.

"But I want her awake. Now." Yachiru demanded. Hisana looked in disbelief at her.

"But 'Chiru, she needs to rest and-" Hisana was cut off as Yachiru leaned over to Kannichi and slapped her full on the face.

"Yachiru!" Hisana screamed. She paid no heed and hit her fist against her Kannichi's stomach.

"Idiot!" Yachiru yelled. Suddenly, Kannichi's eyes flashed open. She grabbed her sword and aimed for Yachiru, who blocked it with little ease.

"Gekisen-sama," Kannichi gasped. Yachiru looked on with a dignified smile.

"You did good," breaking her look, it turned to a smile. Kannichi looked up in a stunned manner, but she began to smile as well. Yachiru picked her up in a hug, and Hisana joined in. They turned and enveloped Kana in their hug as well.

Kana's eyes began to well. This was happiness. She felt the dark and gloomy part of her disappear, and be replaced with happy and bright thoughts. The future didn't look so dark anymore…

The rest of the onlookers watched in silence. Yes, they were their enemies, but one could not help but feel happy when watching a delightful meeting.

"Hey, you guys!" At least most of them did. Groaning at the orange haired boys insolence, Rukia punched him in the guts, which didn't help his many wounds. As he groaned in pain, Yachiru Kusajishi turned intently to the four girls.

"I think what Icchi is trying to say," she continued, "and what we all are wondering, is why did you fight us? And how do you have those powers?" The elder Yachiru smiled at her younger, and bent down to eye-level with her.

"You're gonna grow up to be one of the best shinigami this world has known." She told the younger, and while Kusajishi looked in confusion, Yachiru Gekisen straightened up and addressed the crowd.

"We work with someone, someone who wants to take down the Soul Society." The shinigami betrayed no emotion; this was known too happen a lot. Aizen wasn't exactly the first, and these girls wouldn't be the last.

"That's pretty understandable, but what does the Hogyoku have to do with all this?" Hitsugaya asked what everyone wondered. Yachiru smiled.

"The someone we work with, he gained possession of the Hogyoku through means unknown to us. He picked four girls who had unfinished business with the Soul Society, and gave us the Hogyoku part to level the business." The girls looked around, and saw the still confused looks.

"The Hogyoku, it feeds on our desires and gives us power to satisfy them. Because we all had some score to settle with the Soul Society, this power was directed toward taking them down."

"What the hell do you mean?" Ichigo still did not grasp the concept. Yachiru smiled.

"Let me explain," she continued, "Using myself as an example."

"I always wanted to feel useful and needed. My fiancé left me, my captain hated me, and my family didn't want me. There was only a handful that actually talked to me. The Hogyoku saw that. Everyone needs the elements of nature; they are the basis of survival in itself. That is why my sword is elemental based. And I was angry at the Soul Society for rejecting me even then."

"I didn't want to be the girl everyone needed to protect," Hisana cut in. "I wanted to protect. I failed at that with Rukia," she smiled sadly at the younger girl, and everyone looked with wide eyes at this new revelation. "I couldn't protect Byakuya-sama. Everyone protected me."

"I couldn't even protect myself from Aizen. I heard his plans on domination. He injected me with poison, and I lay there dying. I had not found Rukia nor had I loved Byakuya. Therefore, the Hogyoku gave me powers close to the one I wanted to be like. Byakuya could protect me, and I sought to be stronger then him, so I could return the same thing to him. I more or less wanted to show the Soul Society that I could protect my friends, and show them I wasn't as weak as I looked."

Byakuya stared at her with shock. She returned it with a sad smile.

"Kannichi?" Gekisen gave her an encouraging smile.

"I wanted to surpass my superiors, the elders in the Seireitei who always looked down at me for being a girl. A horse runs faster then anything. Simple as that." No more words were passed from her mouth, but everyone understood it completely."

"And Kana?" the small girl gave a small nod.

"Everyone in the Soul Society didn't like me. Everywhere I went I brought gloom and darkness. No one was happy around me, and they argued and fought. My power is correctly called "The Rope That Binds." Rope, or in my case hair strands represents unity."

Everyone took all this information in. True, at first the Shinigami were just fighting because the girls had initiated it, but to truly know the reason was comforting.

"And now?" Ichigo looked in Yachiru's hands, were all four pieces laid. Isshin stepped forward, but Yachiru ignored him.

"Now, we rid ourselves of all this trouble." She placed them on the ground, and pieced them together. They stuck, but nothing happened.

"Uh guys?" Isshin Kurosaki's serious tone shocked a few, but he was cut off by Kana.

"It… It's suppose to glow Chiru," Kana whispered. Yachiru lifted it up, looking around. Everyone gasped.

In the center was a heart shaped hole missing. It went straight through the Hogyoku, and obviously was the heart of the sphere.

"What the hell is this?" Ichigo yelled at the girls. They could not provide an answer, staring as in shock at the hole in the Hogyoku. Isshin tried once again to talk, but Ichigo silenced his father.

This meant there was someone out there with the power of the Hogyoku. They all winced at the thought of battling someone else like these girls, all but Kenpachi, who brightened at the mere idea.

"Haha! I wanna meet this kid and face off!" Kenpachi roared in happiness.

"That won't be necessary," a voice chuckled. Everyone's eyes widened. They looked around for the source. It was very familiar…

"Maru… dono?" Yachiru breathed. The voice laughed again. Footsteps sounded, and they turned with wide eyes to the source. It shocked them all.

"Don't be a stranger, Chiru-chan. Just call me Gin."

…

Sorry for the VERY late update. I have been busy.

Who didn't expect Gin? LoL.

I hope their explanation makes sense…

Reviews are love!

Until next time…

~~~EeLgIrL (^.^)


	14. No, It's Not a New Beginning

Breakdown of the Sphere

_I do not own Bleach._

Chapter 14: No, It's Not a New Beginning

…

"Gin Ichimaru!"

Kenpachi's hearty laugh did not cover the shock of everyone else. Both human and Shinigami alike looked on with curiosity, shock and blatant stupidity.

"What… the… hell?" this time no one stopped Ichigo from talking. He summed up what was on everyone's minds.

Rangiku moved in closer to Toshiro, and he didn't object. To see your lover come back from the dead was enough to creep anyone out. Rukia did the same with Byakuya. She and Gin weren't exactly the best of friends.

Silence engulfed them. They stood there, a staring contest between Gin and the fighters.

Finally Kana couldn't take anymore. "He is standing in front of you! What, do you not believe he's there?" As to prove her point, she slapped Gin in the face. As he went down, Kana kicked him in his guts.

"He's real." She turned on her heel, but not before stepping on his stomach. Everyone viewed the quiet girl with semi-awe and semi-horror.

"Uhh… Kana-chan…" Gin groaned.

"We don't doubt he was real," Kenpachi, who was the only who seemed happy to see Gin. "It's what he's doing here we don't understand."

"Perhaps I can paint a clearer picture for you all," the new addition to the group gave as much shock to them all as Gin did. Yoruichi Shihoin, in her cat form had just walked up.

"Yoruichi… what… are you doing here?" Byakuya annoyance was made clear through his tone. The black cat grinned.

"Yoruichi was 'kind' enough to escort me here," Gin smirked, his regular demeanor still showing even now in the "afterlife".

"Fine then. What are YOU doing here?" Byakuya looked more then royally pissed. Yes, Gin was supposed to be a dead man. But two of his least favorite people were here in front of him. He had a right to be angry.

"Wait, aren't you suppose to be dead?" Hitsugaya croaked. Realization hit them all when the sudden showing of Gin-_Gin_-processed in their brain.

"How?"

Kenpachi's surprisingly smart question was the same going through everyone's brains. How did he survive as well?

"Umm, everyone? I can explain if you give me a chance?" Isshin cautiously approached the group. Finally they gave him their attention.

Isshin turned the ex-3rd captain. "How did you get it?" Isshin asked quietly. Gin merely nodded. Sighing, Isshin face the rest of his group.

He wants to seal away the Hogyoku forever."

No one understood. Isshin sighed again.

"What the girls told you was not true. At least parts of it weren't." The 4 ex-enemies turned sharply to their ringleader.

"Yes, the reason they gained their powers was because of their unresolved desires. However, I am not trying to take down the Soul Society. Something far from that."

"Nearly 100 years ago, Kisukie Urahara created the Hogyoku, but tried to seal it. The Hogyoku's power was too powerful to exist in this world. However, the sealing method fell through, and through a series of events this power made its way to Aizen."

"I manage to steal it away from Aizen before I 'died'. However, in order to seal it again I needed_ your _power Ichigo. You and your fathers. Your powers were given to you because of the Hogyoku. If you return them, the Hogyoku will then grant us access into the reincarnation process, allowing us to be reborn."

"My powers are… what?" Isshin cut in at Ichigo's question.

"I was the failed sealing method those many years back." He explained sadly. "Kisuke originally developed the Hogyoku because I asked him too. When it became too powerful to be in use, I took it into my own hands to seal it. However, it… it didn't work. The Hogyoku was semi-sealed, and as you can see Aizen was able to unseal it."

"This time around though, I want to finish the job. No one more should suffer because my mistake. I can't do it by myself though. I don't have enough power. I ask for you're help."

"There's one thing though," he continued, his face down casted. "You will lose you're powers."

Everyone froze. Ichigo would lose his powers again?

"Ichigo, it's your choice," Isshin looked at his son. He was in deep though, contemplating this new information.

Lose his powers… but save the world. Didn't he already do that? Was fate messing with him again?

Looking at his friends, he avoided eye contact with Rukia, who was not looking at him either. He couldn't bear not seeing her again. And what about Renji? Byakuya? And the rest of his friends in the Soul Society? If he were to forfeit his powers, he would most likely not see them until the day he died.

But then… he turned to the four girls and Gin. They couldn't die and reincarnate peacefully with the Hogyoku power. They were unhappy with their current state. He hated to see unhappiness.

"I'll do it," Picking himself up, he gave a reassuring smile to the girls. The Shinigami looked to protest, but Ichigo held his hand up.

"On one proposition," he continued. "You guys have to visit. I want to help them, but I don't want to lose my friends, dead or alive." Grinning at Rukia, the Shinigami understood his decision. Helping them was his top priority. He would never forgive himself if he didn't.

"I will," Rukia whispered, and the rest nodded. For the second time in her Shinigami life, tears rolled down her cheeks. She didn't care though. Matsumoto was wiping her face, and even Yachiru wasn't smiling, her pink eyes wide as she realized the proximity of the situation.

"So what do I do?" Ichigo stepped forward, but Isshin held him back.

"Nothing yet," Isshin whispered. They watched as Gin inserted the last piece. It fit perfectly.

The Hogyoku began to light up. It casted a soft glow across the sky that lit up part of the night.

"Wait!" Kannichi turned to look Chad in the eye. She ripped off the right sleeve of her suit, to reveal her _love and death_ tattoo. Everyone looked between Chad and Kannichi, stunned but not saying a word.

"I got this the first day I came to Mexico," Kannichi held Chad's hand, who stared down at her stoically. "I ran away from the Soul Society, because I was angry at how they treated me. But then, Gekisen found me, and ordered me back. I couldn't leave, because of you. But I had too, and it has eaten me away for all these years."

"I cannot love you as a lover, but I don't love you as a friend. You are my… _hermano_." She walked away, tears rolling from her eyes but a smile on her face. "_Te quiero para mi muerte."_ She touched the Hogyoku, and her body began to glow. There was a flash, and her body disappeared.

"What… What happened?" Chad choked out, quivering with sadness. Orihime put her arms around him, and Uryu patted his shoulder.

"Here," Hisana handed Chad a key, "Yoruichi sama can show you the way to our warehouse. Her room is the first on the second floor. Under her bed… there are some picture's that I'm sure Kannichi would want to give you." She made to the Hogyoku, but Byakuya stopped her path.

"I just… found you again…" he murmured. The drama was intense. Byakuya himself had water in his eyes, struggling against letting go.

Hisana smiled that sad smile, the same one she smiled on her deathbed. The same one she smiled everyday of there precious five years together. Only for him.

"The plum blossoms were beautiful that day," she whispered. Without knowing, she too touched the Hogyoku, and in a flash she disappeared, leaving only the simplest touch and the softest kiss behind.

The tear broke, and the waterfalls came down. Byakuya Kuchiki made no sound as he turned his back to the rest, tears slowly falling down his eyes.

"What, am I suppose ta make a speech now?" Kana groaned, as she hopped off the rock she had sat upon. "I'm no good at that stuff." She flicked her now short hair behind her shoulders, only for it to come back to the front.

"Guess I'll have ta get used to that," she muttered, pushing it behind her ear. "Oi, Isshin!" The tall father looked quizzically at her. She beckoned him forward.

_Slap!_

"This is for Yachi," she smiled prettily at him as she stomped on his foot. "This is for me." Her gaze turned serious.

"And this," she leaned upwards, and was face to face with Isshin, "is thank you." Slightly kissing him on the cheek, she flounder happily away and left Isshin there shell-shocked.

"Hey there, lil' captain," she tossed her head toward his direction. "You're such a happy light, it's irritating. But thanks for the hair cut anyway."

Giving a peace sign in his direction, she winked at Gin. "You and me get a rematch, kay Ginny?" Without waiting for an answer, she too disappeared in a flash, leaving question in the faces at her "big speech".

All that was left was Gin and Yachiru. Neither said a word.

"Gin," Rangiku was openly crying now. "Why? Will you leave me again?" The silver haired man did not respond.

"Little boy," Yachiru murmured, and Kenpachi looked up. "You've grown. Nice time we meet, perhaps you will be saving me from a hollow."

Gin still did not answer Rangiku, instead turning to Isshin.

"Ya know what ta do right?" he grinned at Isshin, who nodded. He turned again, ruffled Hitsugaya on the head, and finally looked at his former lover.

"Goodbye Ran-chan."

As soon as Gin touched the Hogyoku, he too disappeared. Yachiru followed suit without a word.

"Okay!" Isshin moved into action, facing the growing light of the Hogyoku. Ichigo startled, following his dad.

"What do I have to do?" Isshin didn't answer at first, focusing on the light.

"Touch the Hogyoku." Ichigo did so, but pulled back at the searing hot feel.

"What the hell? It's boiling!" Ichigo yelled, but Isshin put his hand on it calmly, only slightly wincing.

"What does this do?" Ichigo inched toward the glowing sphere. Isshin turned to him, his face glowing from the brightening Hogyoku.

"When something is reborn, they start a new life, a new chapter in life, a new _day_. Here, the Hogyoku represents the new day; its glowing sphere is the sun. However, it has been asleep because the moon has not gone down yet." Ichigo nodded, completely understanding what he meant now.

"We are the moon that has to go in order for the sun to rise," Ichigo whispered. Isshin nodded.

"It's nothing, the Hogyoku knows what to do when you put your hand on it. The last time though, when I tried to seal the Hogyoku with my powers, I was afraid, and at the last second I backed out. This time though, I will _fight_." Ichigo wasted no time; he placed his hand on the glowing sphere, which had cooled slightly.

They waited, the Hogyoku absorbing the moons power. Ichigo saw 5 small black swirls in there, and realized it was the five children of the Hogyoku. With this, they would all be reincarnated, able to finally move on.

And he would too.

This was truly the end of his Shinigami journey. There would be no turning back after this, no way to regain his powers again.

_I'm not Shinigami. I'm Kuchiki Rukia._

_I'm… Kurosaki Ichigo._

It was the beginning, the start of it all. It started with a stab of the sword, a simple transformation.

A life changing experience.

"Rukia," he croaked. "Look at me."

The petite shinigami stared intently into her friend's eyes. In them she saw the pain of losing his powers, but the determination to make things right.

They had been through so much together, and life wouldn't be the same without her Shinigami partner. She didn't care.

"Good-bye Rukia," the light from the Hogyoku engulfed him, and only his bright annoying orange hair stood out. She grinned.

"Thank you, Rukia." Brown kind eyes smiled at her. She smiled back, the tears coming out in greater amounts.

"Thank you… Ichigo. See you soon."

…

Awww…

Hope the whole thing is explained. Most likely won't be though. Whatever, my consciousness was getting to me to get this out. It's a crappy chapter, but whatever. Just take in the heart warmth and forget the explanation!

One more chapter!

~~~EeLgIrL (^.^)


	15. But It's Almost a Happy Ending

Breakdown of the Sphere

_I do not own Bleach._

Chapter 15: But It's Almost a Happy Ending

…

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime shouted across the room. She was sitting on Tatsuki's desk, and they had seem to been having a conversation before Ichigo entered the room.

Turning toward, he winced at the bandage over her eye, but waved back. She, out of all of them had maintained the worst damage. However, she was back to her normal state very soon, and she was training at Tatsuki's dojo more often. Ichigo didn't want to know what she would be like when this was all over.

Turning down his row, he nodded toward Uryu and Chad. Uryu returned the nod, but Chad was too immersed in a picture he was staring at. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a shot of Chad and a girl in the younger days. Smiling softly to himself, he continued until he reached his seat.

"Hey there," he greeted his neighbor, who gave no response to him, as immersed as Chad was, but in a horror novel instead. Chuckling to himself, he made himself comfortable until role call.

"Kunieda-san!" Orihime called out another greeting to the tall stoic girl. She looked up briefly to acknowledge her, but soon returned to her book. She walked up the row, brushing by Ichigo on her way to her seat behind him.

"Okay, class, settle down, settle down," Miss Ochi arrived in the room shortly after Ryo had. Everyone returned to their seats, and stood to bow to the teacher.

"Role Call!" she grinned as they sat back down. Ichigo tuned out at this point, knowing when to answer. It was always after her. There had been some mix-up, so Ryo Kunieda currently sat behind Ichigo, but he didn't care. It was fun to bother the one in front of him.

"Arisawa, Tatsuki!" Ichigo wasn't listening. Instead, he was staring at the girl's head, thinking back the few months.

It had been exactly a month since he last had his Shinigami powers. Yes, he did miss them, but life was much more peaceful. Sure, he did miss certain aspects of his Shinigami life, but as of now, life was good.

"Inoue, Orihime!"

"Here!"

"Ishida, Uryu!"

"Here."

Ichigo smirked at his two friends way of response. Orihime trained with Tatsuki, so she wouldn't have to rely on anyone else to protect her. While they were all worried that the events in Hueco Mundo would scar her, they did nothing of that sort. She had more of a resolve now. Orihime promised herself she would grow stronger so if that ever happened again, she would "kick her captor's ass."

Ishida and Chad both were also training. Because Ichigo no longer had Shinigami powers, they were in charge of the hollow extermination around here. He couldn't really trust the shinigami assigned to this area, that guy was too self confident for anything. However, Ishida and Chad weren't exactly the best themselves.

But Ichigo still didn't worry. They had-

"Kuchiki, Rukia!"

No answer.

"Oi, Rukia, she's calling you," Ichigo poked his neighbor, but got a slap of her book to his head.

"Hey! Kuchiki!" Ochi-sensei looked at her warningly. Rukia gave a sunny smile.

"Sorry, instant reflex. And yes, I'm here!" Ochi-sensei looked like she wanted to dish more punishment, but that is hard to do to Rukia, master of deception.

"Kurosaki, Ichigo!"

Ichigo groaned. "Here," he muttered. Shaking his head, he cursed the midget for always getting off.

"Kunieda, Ryo!"

"Here."

Ichigo once again blanked out, thinking of the events that unfolded after the destruction of the Hogyoku. The Captain Commander told the Shinigami to take a long break, thinking them "unstable" and "unsuitable" to be put in commission again. While some would object, Ichigo was glad they were. While on her month long break, Rukia would be staying with them. He would teach her the ways of the human world, all in preparation of her being stationed in Karakura. On the request of Ichigo, Rukia, and even Byakuya himself, Rukia would be the Shinigami assigned to the Karakura area. However, Rukia was in a different position. She was allowed to use a gigai at all times and interact with the humans as long as she was on alert for hollows.

Rukia agreed. As the new 4th seat of 13th company, she accepted her assignment.

"Alright, everyone take out your books and turn to page 47. Today we will be discussing how…"

Life was good.

…

The tall stoic man stood at the curb; his back leaned against the brick building. He heard the familiar ring of a school bell. That was the high school letting out, meaning Rukia and Ichigo would be off to afterschool activities.

Averting his eyes to the university, he was pleased to see they were letting out as well. That meant she should be arriving anytime soon.

He leaned back against the wall. Byakuya Kuchiki knew how much trouble he was in if anyone found out. This was wrong, illegal, and disgraceful…

Her face came to his mind. He closed his eyes and drank in the sight of her, even though it was only mentally.

He didn't give a damn anymore. She was worth it.

"Oh, Sani, why can't you come? You always skip out," Kannichi Aoitsu's voice came to his attention. Opening his eyes, he saw two university girls walk up to the curb.

A soft pleasing laugh answered her question.

The laugh that belonged to her. He straightened up.

"Kanni, I'm meeting up with someone, sorry," her sweet voice lifted his spirits. He saw the older girl's disbelief.

"Sani, if you have a boyfriend, you have to tell me-"

"No, don't worry, I don't!" she laughed again. Kannichi didn't seem to buy it, but decided to drop it.

"You're coming next time," she shook her finger warningly at the younger girl, and she continued to giggle. Kannichi turned and started to walk off.

"Have fun… on your date." Enunciating on the last part, the departing girl laughed at her companion's blush and ran off.

Both Byakuya and the remaining female watched as Kannichi left. Then she ridged up, and looked around cautiously.

"Looking… for me?" Byakuya's seductive voice surprised her. Jumping up, her shocked look turned to a smile when she realized who it was.

"Hey there," the sweet melody made Byakuya's inside turn. How was it that almost 50 years later, she could still do this to him?

"Hisana," he murmured into her ear, and she shivered in delight. Two could play this game.

Taking her hand, Byakuya led her into the café where they planned to meet. Both inhaled softly at the warm aroma of bread and coffee.

If anyone saw Byakuya at this moment, they could just possibly die of heart attack. The solemn emotionless captain lovesick? That was enough to send a Shinigami to the grave.

He didn't care though. Being in love was enough reason to cause the plague in Soul Society.

"What would you like, Kuchiki-san?" Hisana stood at the counter. It was a friendly cozy place, and perfect for dates.

"Must I remind you," he walked up to the counter, and nodded, indicating he wanted his regular. "To call me Byakuya?"

"I will," she fell back on his stomach, "When you try something new." He smirked.

"Considered it done," he pointed to the platter of strawberry mochi. "One of those please." Ignoring the smaller girls shock, he grabbed their orders and left some coins on the counter. He led the girl to their table.

The woman behind the counter smiled and shook her head. Young love.

Sitting at the window seat, Hisana looked outside at the passerby's. Byakuya, deciding he didn't like the sweet snack, placed it on his napkin. He then proceeded to stare at his angel.

Her face was illuminated by the setting sun, which made her black hair shine. The violet orbs that stared out the window shined. Her small smile reminded Byakuya of all those times back in the Soul Society. He sighed in content.

When Rukia was announced that she was stationed in Karakura, he had decided to check out the area. On his third visit, it was when he saw Hisana again.

At first he couldn't believe it, that she would be reborn in an area near Rukia. Then as he observed her more, it was clearer to him that they were the same person.

At first there relationship was merely crashing into each other on the street. However, while Hisana would otherwise pass him off as a mere stranger, even worst, their times together before awoke. Hisana was drawn to him as Byakuya was drawn to her. They began talking together, even setting dates to meet and such.

No matter that anyone else would tell her she was getting into a relationship with a possibly dangerous man, and not to rush it. Their prior relationship was as dangerous, yet they survived through that. This was slow compared to how they got together back then. He chuckled at this thought.

Hisana heard him, and turned back to her companion. Frowning at his forgotten treat, she picked it up and stuffed it into her mouth. Swallowing, she shook her finger at Byakuya in mock–motherly tone.

"Don't waste your food!" she scolded. He didn't laugh, far to reserved for that, but allowed for a small chuckle.

They finished the rest of their food in silence, as they usually did. It would be weird for other couples, but silence was precious for them.

"Finish your story!" Hisana perked up as Byakuya took one last sip of his tea. She was long finished with her meal and part of his. He leaned back in his seat, smiling.

"Are you sure? It doesn't end so well," Byakuya turned his gaze directly to Hisana.

"I don't care." Her firm voice told him that she meant it.

"Fine," placing his elbows on the table, he searched his memory for the last place they left off.

"The woman just married the noble, correct?" Hisana nodded. Byakuya sighed.

Ever since they started their secret meetings, Byakuya had piece by piece told Hisana the story of how they met so long ago. Of course not using names, she took in ever word of the romantic story.

Today though, he would finish it as soon as he could. He couldn't bear to drag out the five years of happy sadness. Her sickness, looking for Rukia, everything that happened in their five years of holy matrimony could never be expressed in words.

"Five years passed. Five years of pure happiness, bliss and everlasting love passed." Byakuya internally grinned. This was definitely true on his part. Just knowing that the girl he had fallen in love with was his was enough to send him to heaven.

"However, no relationship is without its ups and downs. Our heroine was always off looking for her lost family. And another problem arose." Hisana leaned in closer, her eyes wide.

"She had contracted a disease when she was still a peasant. This disease was incurable, and each day it grew worst. The noble watched day by day as she wilted away. Finally, on their fifth year of marriage, before the cherry blossoms bloomed, she passed."

Hisana sat back, wordless. "Is that… it?" she asked, Byakuya nodded. Hisana blew out a puff of air.

"Wow." Byakuya knew it was a short ending, but it described their short time together perfectly. Strong but fleeting.

They sat in silence once again, one contemplating the quick ending to a story, the other watching her as she did so.

"Byakuya?" Hisana's voice was cautious, and Byakuya immediately tensed up.

"Yes, Hisana?" he returned the question with his own. He saw violet looking in his face. Worry emitted from them.

"Why, why do I get along with you so well?" she whispered. Byakuya's eyes widened.

"Wh-What do you mean?" She smiled sadly.

"I only know you by you're name, nothing else. That itself should be a set back from me interacting with you, yet… here I sit, talking to you. As if nothing in our present states matters. Its nice, but now…" she trailed off, but Byakuya motioned for her to go on.

"Well, the story you told me, I feel like I know it personally, as if it's a big part of my life. And there is no way we by coincidence are so affected by the same story." She paused again.

"I'm going to be direct Byakuya," Hisana said sternly not a bit of playful banter at all. "How are you connected to my past? The _truth_."

Byakuya froze. His mind whirled with all the memories of the past. However, inside he was slightly cheering. He had not feared this moment, much less; he could not wait for it. Telling Hisana about her past would change everything. A moment of truth, if there love had survived each rebirth or not.

"Hisana," Byakuya gave the slightest of smiles to her. He was ready for this. "Come with me, I have a place I want to bring you too. I have something important to tell you…" Hisana nodded, and taking her hand, the two of them walked out of the café into the setting sun, basking in the last moment of innocence and naivety.

_Because what he told her would change the course of life forever…_

…

She catwalks down the mall, in full shopaholic mode. Her hands were full of bags, and her smaller companion was unwillingly holding some as well. Peeking into all the stores, Matsumoto lets out a sigh of happiness.

"Don't you love shopping, Captain?" she grinned, and the younger male grunted a reply. Hitsugaya clearly didn't agree, and the only thing still binding him to this situation was that he had nothing better to do. Captain Commander Yamamoto demanded those who were in the Hogyoku wars to take a break, and despite all of Hitsugaya's protest, he was literally pushed out of Soul Society and into the Human World.

So that was why he was currently in a Gigai, acting as a personal servant to his lieutenant's shopping expedition.

"Seriously, Matsumoto," Hitsugaya shifted a few of the bags in order to see his bigger liuentenant. "Why did I have to come again?"

Taking it as a rhetorical question, Matsumoto bounded into another Kimono Shop. Tossing the rest of her bags onto Hitsugaya, he nearly fell back in attempt to keep the weight.

"Matsumoto…" he said warningly. She gave a small giggle as she browsed the store. Hitsugaya followed her as she went inward.

"Why don't you get one of the guys who are gawking at you to hold your bags?" Hitsugaya tried once more. There were a good number of them, standing outside to view the large busty woman's… assets.

This was most definitely the wrong thing to say. The bubbly Matsumoto's face drooped.

Instead of coming up with a witty response, Matsumoto sighed and leaned against the small turnaround. Hitsugaya immediately regretted her words.

"Matsu… moto?" he quietly asked. She remained silent, staring at the fabric in her hands.

"Gin… he used to hold my bags," she finally replied, her head still down. "When we visited the human world…" Hitsugaya did not speak, he suppose that was a hard subject to bring up. These days, he tried to be kinder to his lieutenant, who lost her loved one. They had no way of telling where the five Hogyoku children had gone, and the chance of seeing any of them again was supposedly slim.

"And Captain!" she brightened up quickly; so much that Hitsugaya fell back in shock. The bags fell all over him, and he thanked the heavens that she was fonder of clothes then heavier objects.

"You're the only other guy I can trust with this job!" she grinned, and skipped out of the store. Hitsugaya groaned and scooped everything into his hands.

"Ahh, Captain, wanna take a break and get something to eat?" Hitsugaya didn't have to be asked twice. He and Matsumoto made there way over to the food court.

"Let's try something new!" she pointed to a small stand called "American Delights". However, before they could make there way over, an alarm blared.

"Hey! You hooligans!" Matsumoto and Hitsugaya turned to a small jewelry store near the court. Two kids were weaving through the crowd, intent on leaving the premises as soon as possible.

One was in her preteens, perhaps younger. She had short beige hair, and wore loose clothes. The other was in his late teens. He had long legs, and cleared a path for him and his accomplice. They ran pass the two visiting Shinigami, almost crashing into them. It was then that Matsumoto got a closer look.

Her eyes widened. He had silver hair, and a fox like face. His eyes opened, to reveal an icy cold blue that Hitsugaya's held no candle too.

Could it be-?

Security stopped the two thieves. They tried to dodge them, but a row of security had arrived.

"You two again?" one of them took out a pair of handcuffs, and the girls amber eyes widened.

"Stop!"

Hitsugaya's eyes went higher, and his mouth dropped open. Matsumoto ran up to the whole incident, and held her hands in between the police and the two teens.

"I'll… I'll pay for what they stole," she murmured, and the two teens looked shocked. Hitsugaya was as well. To interfere with human life so casually-!

"Nah, forget it," the taller boy spoke up for the first time, and Hitsugaya nearly went into cardiac arrest. That voice-!

"Kana, return the stuff," the taller boy continued, and she groaned as she reached all over, to reveal a pile worth a whole lot. To be able to hide so much on one person…

Security gathered the stolen goods, and gave a warning to the two thieves. They took it with little ease, as if they were used to it.

Security left, obviously happy they didn't have to punish the two of them. Looking at them, Hitsugaya wasn't so sure if they were doing well involving themselves with the two.

"Hey," Matsumoto's quiet voice interrupted his thoughts. Sighing at his vice-captain's stupidity, he decided he might as well get involved to make sure she didn't get too involved.

"Who are you guys?" Kana Tamasa answered. She didn't have her long hair in this life, opting for a shoulder length layered bob instead. However, she had two longer strands tied in braids, an obvious homage to her former hairstyle.

Gin didn't change as much. His fox face, the long silver hair, the closed eyes and sinister grin. His arm was around Kana in a brotherly mode, and Hitsugaya wondered if they were not so in this life.

"I'm Rangiku Matsumoto, and this is my captain Toshiro Hitsugaya," Hitsugaya smacked his head. She was kidding right? She reveals their Soul Society bonds the moment she meets them. They were most likely not to remember them, so why do something stupid like that? She couldn't possible hope that they do…

"Captain?" Kana quizzically looked at the two of them, answering Toshiro's inner question. Before Matsumoto could say anymore, Toshiro closed his hand around her mouth, proven hard with the much hated height difference.

"We're friends." He announced. Kana looked curious, but dropped it.

"I'm Kana Tamasa, and this is my half-bro Gin Ichimaru." She introduced them, and the tall boy nodded. "And about before… thanks but we didn't need your help. We've done this before, so we would be able to escape prison."

"Are you guys in trouble or something?" Matsumoto cut in. "Cause we've got money if you really need hel-"

"No, we aren't." Gins gravely voice spoke again. "We do it cause it's fun." Hitsugaya stared at the two.

"Because… it's… fun?" he questioned. Kana and Gin laughed at the two Shinigami's expressions.

"I suppose we disrupted your lunch, so our treat," Gin held his arm out to Matsumoto, who took it with eager pleasure. They all walked to where the two Shinigami dropped down their bags.

"My dear lady, Matsumoto-san, would you care to accompany getting food for our companions?" Matsumoto, clearly surprised at the change in Gin, nodded once and followed Gin to the multiple food stands adorning the mall's food court. This left Hitsugaya and Kana sitting at the table, watching them go on.

"Sooo…" Kana started, obviously uncomfortable at this position she was in. "Is she like, you're big sister or something?" Hitsugaya's vein popped. She was calling him short!

"We're _friends_," he hissed. Kana raised her eyebrows amusingly at this.

"Boyfriend and Girlfriend? Cause if she is a pedophile, I can get helps ya kno-"

"We are about the same age!" Hitsugaya growled. This wasn't necessarily true, but in Soul Society no one paid attention to age anyway. "And we _aren't_ dating!"

"Wow, you're the same age as her?" Kana's mouth mockingly dropped open, and she leaned closer to Hitsugaya poking at his face. "Oi… looks like Ran-chan and Gin-nii are getting cozy there…"

"Where?" Hitsugaya's eyes wildly turned to where they were, but the two of them where just looking up at the menu. Kana laughed loudly.

"Not dating are ya?" Kana smirked. "I figure you're the protective type aren't ya?" Hitsugaya's vein popped, and he snapped.

"We. Are. Not. Dating!" he roared, and the tables around him went quiet. Embarrassed, he sat back down with a huff.

"Oh, fine, get protective will ya?" Kana smirked again. "Whatever little man, I don't care…"

"Tamasa-san!"

…

Silver hair. Squint eyes. A fox face.

Nothing had changed in his appearance.

That Kyoto accent. His improper grammar. The gravely voice.

Nothing had changed in his voice.

The sneaky slyness. The emotionless snake. The joking actions.

Nothing had changed in his personality.

Yet…

The proximity was making her warm, as he pointed over her shoulder at a certain snack he recommended. His warm breath made her body shiver. His soft hand sent chills up her spine.

_Don't fall in love; don't fall in love,_ her innards chanted. Yet she was drawn to him again. Just like those many years ago.

But he would leave her too.

Tears rolled down her eyes. He noticed.

"Matsumoto-san," he frowned at her. "What is wrong?"

"You remind me of someone," she blurted. "Someone who left me a long time ago. I really like you, but I'm afraid…" Realizing what she was saying, Matsumoto clasped her hands over her mouth.

Silence.

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a bag. She stared at it.

_Dried Persimmons. _

"Want one?" he grinned.

A simple guesture. A shared snack. A new attraction.

A new beginning.

…

"This isn't so good, you know," the pigtailed girl shook her hair out. Her hat flopped into her face, and she pushed it back angrily.

"Riruka-san, things don't come easy, you know," her taller companion stated. The five Xcution members watched the ball game below from on top of a warehouse that was the place of the fight nearly a month ago. The battle scars still adorned the building, and blood could faintly be seen on the ground below.

"But now what do we do?" Jackie cut in before the other female could speak. Riruka huffed angrily. "It took us forever to locate a shinigami hollow hybrid. I don't think we can look for another one."

"I'm as tired of these powers as you guys are," their de facto leader finally spoke up, and everyone turned to Kugo Ginjo. He wasn't facing the ball game, instead looking at a young girl who was as closely watching the ball game as the Xcution.

"Giriko," the tall butler turned to his leader. "Time Tells no Lies. Revert time back to before this whole… incident." Everyone stopped, silently looking at Kugo.

"Are you crazy Ginjo-san?" a teenage boy stared at his elder amusingly. "Time Tells no Lies doesn't operate like that. That would be catastrophic, and cause many problems you know." Ginjo nodded.

"Listen through, Yukio," he replied. "If we reverse time on the humans, then the Shinigami will be forced to leave. That is the point of this." Giriko looked questionably at Ginjo, unsure of what he was exactly asking.

"Make it… as if this event had never existed." Ginjo tried a simpler approach, and everyone understood. They stood in silence. This was a heavy topic to breach. An almost God-like thing was about to be done, to reverse time, as if it never happened.

"How long ago?" Giriko questioned quietly. So many things could go wrong with this, but they would have to endure. As asked, he would indeed reject time.

"The moment Kurosaki Ichigo said good-bye to the Shinigami Kuchiki Rukia." Kugo replied as silently as Giriko. "But… let them live their lives a little longer." Xcution looked at the four children of the Hogyoku and their leader. To reject time would mean erasing their existence from this world.

Poor girls. All they wanted was to be reborn, to live again. Yet here they were, about to rid the world of them.

Silence engulfed them as the sun went down. Time went on, unaware of the disruption to come.

…

Crack!

A ball went sailing into the air. Ururu Tsumugiya watched as it soared, and then ran as fast as she could to second base.

The ball dropped to the ground. Jinta Hanakari and Karin Kurosaki both dived for it, but neither was able to pick it up. A small black cat butted the ball out of the way, and despite all protest, transformed into her human form. Yoruichi picked it up and threw it to second base, where Orihime caught it. However, Ururu passed second base as well, and was well on her way to third. Orihime threw to home, but Ururu ran faster and slid into the base before Ichigo could make it from the pitcher mound.

"Safe!" Yuzu Kurosaki shouted, and the rest of Ururu's team shouted in happiness. Rukia ran up to give the younger girl a hug, to which she shyly returned it. Urahara watched with happiness, glad to have his daughter back.

"Yay Ururu!" Mashiro called from the side. "Go Kensei!" The two young kids groaned from outer field. This was not good…

"Can we quit? It's getting late," Jinta yawned. Yoruichi smirked and patted him on the back.

"Giving up already?" she grinned. Jinta groaned, but his eyes widened in shock.

"Put some clothes on woman!" Yoruichi looked down, and she looked amused.

"Woops." She smiled at all the men on the field, most which sported bloody noses. Yuzu looked up disbelievingly at her father.

"Pervert," he smirked and ruffled her hair. Everyone laughed as Yoruichi got changed. The game resumed. Ichigo threw to Kensei, and as the ball soared through the air, Jinta and Karin didn't even bother to go after it.

Everyone's eyes were focused on the ball, and no one noticed they were not the only one's watching it. A green haired girl also was looking on as it fell somewhere on the other side of the field.

A breeze ruffled her hair, and a crisp autumn smell filled the air. A cherry blossom fell from the tree this girl was leaning against, and she cradled it into her hands. Blowing at it, it flew out of her hands and sailed into the late autumn night sky.

She returned her gaze to the ball game.

Jinta was walking to retrieve the baseball as Kensei bounded for home. He made it, and his team cheered.

Such innocence. Such naivety.

No thought to what was happening right under their noses.

She turned and faced the group that was also watching the ball game. They called themselves… fullbringers? In any case, she knew what they were planning. To evaporate the five of them for their own personal gain.

She wouldn't let that happen.

She shifted, and the small lump in her pocket fell out. She turned to see what it was. Picking up the small object, she sighed as she examined it.

The thing that caused so much distress, so much pain and suffering. The thing, that if never created, would have spared the world a whole battle.

But it was the thing that changed everyone's lives forever.

The small Hogyoku's power swirled inside her now. The Fullbringers would erase the Hogyoku's existence from this world, initially including the rest of her friends. However, by absorbing all of the Hogyoku's power, she herself would be the only bearer of this pain. When they erased the existence of the Hogyoku, she would be the only one to suffer.

They had worked so hard to gain a new life; she couldn't let that go down to waste. She didn't want Hisana to lose her new love, Kannichi to be bottom of her class anymore or Kana and Gin to be troubled souls. She would sacrifice herself for the sake of them.

Yachiru sighed, remembering a day was she was allowed to be as carefree as those who played ball beneath her. They had time; they should live there days to the fullest before reality took place.

Because all the humans lived in was a huge fairy tale, and when reality struck, the world was over.

…

It is over! Finally! I thought I would never finish it.

At first, this was a one-shot, and it was done in the empty weeks without Bleach after that sad farewell scene. However, I decided to continue it, because I became interested in this idea. It really grew from there. I guess it started IchiRuki type, but no, it isn't anymore. I redid the first chapter too, incase you wanted to read the new one.

I guess my updates are not so frequent, and I am sorry. FanFiction is new to me. It took a while to complete each chapter.

So, regarding canon Bleach, I decided to work this into that plot. Call it cheesy, but yes, Giriko is using his FullBring to erase this whole story. I was not originally going to do that, but it had worked for me. So yeah. This chapter was originally titled "But It's a Pretty Happy Ending", but with the addition of this, I don't think that was appropriate.

I do not believe Japanese malls are any different from American ones, because of my cousin's experiences and some videos I watched on YouTube, but I could be wrong. Please correct me if I am. And the ball game, I don't know baseball, but hey, it's an easy sport to write!

Thank you to all my reviewers, subscribers and faves! I wanted to thank you all personally, but was busy with HomeWork and typing these chapters up! I know, this is confusing, but just PM me with your questions. I don't want to have to touch this story again… -_-

My next story is a Lily/Ururu piece. Stick around! And see you all next time!

~~~EeLgIrL (^.^)


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